Freedom

The old man grasped the hand of his kin,
A smile without; a wound within.
"Thanks for all you've done," he'd heard
From a thoughtful youth, an encouraging word.
"How could he ever know?"
"How could he ever understand? — the cost, the loss, the love, the fear
That drives one to chase an ideal so dear?"

Nearby a sharp voice shatters the solemnity
By a curse, an unkind profanity
From an ingrate who seems to allege
That freedom is his right, rather than a privilege.
"For him men died? How soon one forgets;
When war and terror no longer threats;
When a person's freedom is demanded, rather than defended."

Freedom is not a gesture, but a gift
Freedom looks not at the price, but the sacrifice
Of those who saw beyond the now and believed the future was worth it;
Who believed sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters deserved a chance
To find their God-given destiny and do destiny's dance.
To some freedom required the ultimate; others still live next door;
To all freedom was not a duty, but an opportunity .... and more.

You see, the debt of freedom can never be repaid,
But every year it is simply displayed
By the salute of an old man's hand, a cap on his head,
and great pride in his heart.

Written by Ron Williams for July 4, 2005, in Bodfish, California

About the author: Ron Williams has been a resident of Bodfish since 2004 and a Foursquare minister since 1965. First, as a pioneer pastor and Bible college teacher (1965-69); then a missionary to Hong Kong (1969-85); then communications officer/special counsel to the president (1985-2004). He is presently dean of Kern River Valley Institute and on staff with Family Life Center in Wofford Heights.

Bakersfield boy earns Top Popcorn Seller for the West

On January 26, 2007, the New Year began with an announcement at the Boy Scouts of America Southern Sierra Council's Annual Recognition Dinner. Scout Executive Bill Robert announced that Lucas Pauliukonis ranked fifth for top popcorn sellers in the nation. By March, the official announcement from the company Trail's-End declared Lucas as No. 2 in the nation, and No. 1 in the Western Region of the United States. Lucas is joyful, even though a boy in North Carolina ranked No. 1 with a $1,500 difference.

Question: How do you feel to be number #2 and not number #1?

Lucas: Well, I know I was close ... but I am OK. I congratulate whoever is number one. I'll try again next year.

Lucas was the top seller three years in a row and still going strong. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger congratulated Lucas, who is just 8 years old. Lucas sold a total of $17,285 and provided his troop, Pack No. 26, with $6,000 in profit. His friends can't thank Lucas enough. The money will go to the North Bakersfield Rotary Club, and pay for new uniforms and Scout handbooks for boys with single parents or low-income families. The money also helped send boys to Camp Kern at Huntington Lake.

Lucas received an 8" x 11" wall plaque with engraved plates and a $1,000 check. He also earned handmade embroidery logos for Pack #26 den leaders and cub masters. He received a Trail's-End logo popcorn patch with a certificate of recognition, a $140 Wal-Mart gift card, and an Apple iPod. He is also elligible for the company's scholarship program.

Question: What did you think about setting your fundraising goal?

Lucas: At first my dad thought $5,000 would be sufficient and set that goal. But after that speech I made everybody loved to hear more. They referred me to go to other places and that kept me going. After two an half months I realized I made $17,285. I realized I could only do a few hours a day for 1 1/2 months and the rest of the time was for scouting and school homework. Weekends are for family outings. Oh yes! The only time that slowed me down was a sizzling hot day and my asthma, but you know what? It is well worth it. I learned how to count the money and it's fun to see it adding up. I owe it to the people who purchased the Trail's-End premium popcorn.

Question: When is the next popcorn kick-off?

Lucas: The sale starts on September 30, 2007.

Reporter: What are you planning to do when the kick-off starts?

Lucas: All eyes are on soaring bald Eagle, because on that day the great race begins.

Reporter: Why is 2007 important to you?

Lucas: Because anything that shows the number seven is my lucky number 7. I was born on the seventh and I consider my favorite number 7.

Question: What happens if you accomplish your goal? What will you do then?

Lucas: Well, I never thought of that. But, I am more interested in knowing the mission is accomplished and reporting to the governor of California that Boy Scouts of America Southern Sierra Council is very much alive and well! Perhaps the governor of California can send me his autograph just as I sent mine. Now that I am ranked Webelow first class, I have a lot of years ahead of me.

Question: What happens if you don't make it?

Lucas: Well...I just have to try again next year and again and again. I like traveling and I've been all over California. My mom's car is over 211,000 miles and still running strong! That Geo Prism seems to last forever and only broke down three times since 1994. I'll still be delivering the popcorn with the same car.

Reporter: Don't you think it's tiring?

Lucas: Yes it is...but, it is well worth it. I gave back to the community I hope the community remembers me. I don't ask what the country can do for me but what can I do for your country. Look for me with my Scout uniform and remember to smile and raise thumbs-up. You'll be glad you did. If anyone wants to order popcorn, look me up!

Global Warming and GET

In this article I will be quoting Dr. Joseph Romm, Ph.D. of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Romm is the founder and executive director of the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions and a fellow at the Center for American Progress. He was acting Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy under President Clinton.

Global warming is real. As Dr. Romm says in his new book, Hell and High Water, it’s the most serious issue of our time. It’s going to take efforts from governments around the world and all of us must do our part working together. Dr. Romm says we must reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases by fifty percent by mid-century.

People of Bakersfield can help by driving less. Our air quality is the second worst in the nation, behind only Los Angeles. It probably costs you over two hundred dollars per month to drive to work. You can buy a monthly GET Bus pass for only thirty dollars per month and pocket the savings. Sure, it is easier to drive your car to work, but what of the damage to our city and our planet?

The GET Bus has eighteen routes, and some eighty buses on the street at any given time. They can get you to within a few blocks of your destination. The city streets will be less congested if just ten percent of us will take the bus. We all can make this a safer, cleaner planet. What kind of world will we leave our grandchildren?

The GET Bus is not the whole solution, but it is an important part. Dr. Romm says the clock is ticking and the ice is melting. Global warming is the most important story of the Twentieth Century, and we have ten years at most to make serious cuts in our emissions of greenhouse gases. We are near the point of no return, according to James Hansen, Director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA).

"I don’t see any reason why the power of hurricanes wouldn’t continue to increase over the next one hundred to two hundred years." – Richard Alley, Penn State climate scientist, May 2006.

"We must invest more in solar energy, as well as wind power, nuclear, as well as all other alternative fuels. " – Kerry Emmanuel, MIT atmospheric scientist, 2006.

We must recycle more. It takes plastic over one thousand years to break down in a landfill. It should me mandatory to use the energy efficient light bulbs. Each one saves over $60.00 in its lifetime. The weather all over the world is affected by global warming. Our floods, droughts, wildfires, tornadoes, and hurricanes are all influenced by global warming.

There is much we can do, like planning our shopping so we can do all of our errands in one day. We can turn up or turn off our air conditioners. We can turn off all unnecessary lights. People of Bakersfield can take the time and trouble to use our transit system. Many of our buses use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which adds almost no pollution to our air. Most GET buses run every thirty minutes or less. They run seven days a week and can get you close to your destination almost anywhere in the city. If you care about global warming and cleaner air for our city, use GET.

Global warming and air pollution are real. We cannot make our streets any wider, but if you use public transit there will be less traffic on our streets. What kind of world will you leave your grandchildren? The choice is yours. I ride GET every day. It is a pleasant experience. If you get the message and respond, our air will be cleaner in a week. Take the challenge. Take GET.

The author would like to thank Gina Hayden, Get Bus Marketing Manager, for supplying the GET Bus information, Jennifer Baldwin, Contributing Editor of the Bakersfield Californian, for her professional assistance, and last but not least, Mike Jenner, Executive Editor, for allowing me the privilege of writing for The Californian.

Local Bakersfield Boys head for early retirement...

John and Dave bumped into each other one morning waiting for their first bus to kindergarten nearly 47 years ago on a sunny September morning in 1960. This was to start a long and fast paced life of laughs and triumphs for these two kids from East Bakersfield. While standing in line and wondering what the first day of school would hold, up came 2 little girls who each planted a kiss on the cheek of one of the unsuspecting wet behind the ear kids. This started the unusual beginnings of these 2 boys who some 47 plus years later still enjoy each others company while exploring what life has to offer.

They made it through 12 years of school together graduating from the newly built Highland High School in 1973. With just a few bumps in the road along the way the two surprisingly escaped the pitfalls of growing up to seek excitement outside the boundaries of their home town fences. Off to outer reaches of California was first in line.

It wasn't long, after spending the summer in Hawaii, that they settled in the coastal town of Laguna Beach, finding refuge in a mountain top home that some unsuspecting attorney rented to the boys. Finding a view that stretched both Southernly and to the North as far as the eye could see, the boys figured they could suffer through a year of fun while doing odd and end jobs around the coastal community.

Low and behold they happened to bump into an old retired dairy man from Kern County who happened to strike it rich in the stock market and lived in a beach front manor in a private gated Laguna estate. Finding out that these barely turned 20 year olds were from his home county and had nothing better to do, decided why not spend some of that easy money on a couple of kids who had wild dreams of playing music and exploring the world?

Before long the boys had a band together and with the help of their new found rich friend's finances, toured up to Northern states pulling rig in tow and 3 other volunteer musicians to try destiny's road of 1 week stands, in far out honky tonk bars and clubs. As time went by the boys did their fair share of clubs in Southern California also, and getting by on the creativity of whatever it took to pay the rent.

Those were fun years and just another passing chapter in the life of two best friends. Once their 20's started to wear down the boys found themselves moving in different directions to find their own way through California's many roads that can be taken. John moved to the Lake Isabella area to help out his older brother start a wood burning business. For over 10 years they supplied the majority of wood to the folks who lived in those mountains, all the while building a great golf swing at the local course near Kernville. Dave, on the other hand, stayed in Southern Cal and established a music based business that kept food on the table.

During the 90's both guys regularly kept in touch to update their progresses in life and see each other on weekend travels. While Dave was out running around the country with his newly acquired gig as manager of the old 70's group Three Dog Night, he bumped into a friend who was looking for a tour manager for the American Revolution Display race cars and new Monte Carlo. John was flown into Detroit and thus began his long run touring the country from NASCAR race to race.

The two would cross paths as they were crisscrossing America in planes and tour buses, occasionally getting in a round of golf. Both did their nearly 10 year stints and as chance would have it an RV Park next to John's house in Lake Isabella came on the market. With a phone call and a couple of months of haggling and horse trading, actually rental house trading, the two became owners of one of the most notorious trailer parks in Kern River Valley's history. In fact, it's old name was Whiskey Flat 's Trailer Park before a wiser previous owner decided to give it a fresh name and look.

So as fate would have it, the two kids who started out throwing rocks together now own and operate the once famous, (at least in the Kern River Valley), the new and improved Scenic Shores RV Park. The only RV park that has direct beach front access on Lake Isabella in the eastern mountains up the Mighty Kern. Now you can find the two older boys (50 plus) doing odd and end upgrades on their park during their next phase of life's adventures.

One says, “Our goal is to turn this little trailer park into one of the nicest RV resorts in America." That might be a stretch but the park is on its way of being transformed to accommodate weekenders from Bakersfield and other surrounding dry landers who need to get away for a breath of fresh air and a few twinkling stars, to refresh their souls you might say. To do nothing but relax or jump into any of the many activities that the lake, river and mountains have to offer.

John now holds the name of Champion at the local Kern Valley Golf Course and you'll find him there on Wednesday and Sunday mornings taking bets from all the other retired guns who just might hit a few lucky shots to edge the champ out of his perch.

Dave on the other hand lives with his wife in a small lake community some 200 miles away but makes the trek about every other week to help John put those final touches on “ the nicest RV resort in America.”

This is just another chapter in these guys' 50 something years “and possibly the beginning to their early retirement”... If you'd like to see their progress on the park, they've offered to put all up for 1 night free if room is available to show you the place. Just call and set a date. You can get all the details at www.scenicshoresrvpark.com or call 760-376-2153.

Adoptions and fathers rights

Courtney came into my life on December 2, 1990. She was ripped out of my life in February 1993. This is a story of how the greed of an attorney and a lie from a woman can circumnavigate the California Adoption Laws put in place to protect a Father’s Rights.

When I found out that I had a child at the Children's Hospital in Fresno, CA, I went to see her. She was born premature and was very small. Her hand was smaller than the end of my little finger. I left a picture of her sisters and myself on the incubator, as the nurse had told me that it could help her. I stayed with her a few hours and then went to a motel. I called my mother, who was in the hospital in Panorama City to tell her that she had a new granddaughter, that was the last time I spoke to my mother alive. She succumbed to leukemia two days later.

I would go and see my daughter whenever Beverly would want something, I can only remember 3 or 4 times before the court had set my visitation schedule. I was served paternity papers at my grandfather’s house, where I was living so that I could take care of him because of advanced Alzheimer’s. I went to the DA’s office to give blood for a DNA test. When the court date came I was in court at which time I was granted visitation and to set the amount of child support to be paid. I went for a visit that very afternoon. When I walked in the door, she was sitting on the floor sucking the same two fingers and had the same blonde hair as her sister, Amanda. From then until November of 1992, I would try and get to Bakersfield to visit Courtney at least twice a month.

In August of 1993, Beverly borrowed a car and brought Courtney to Rosamond to meet her sisters,aunts, and uncles. She picked us up at my grandfather’s house and from there we went to my brother’s house where we had a nice visit from my side of Courtney’s family. In between visits, Beverly would call my brother’s and sisters, even my ex-wife and tell them that my daughter was sick and in the hospital. After the second or third time, I raced to Bakersfield (75 miles away) and went to the hospital where she was supposed to be and she was not there. I realized I could not believe Beverly, however, when she called my older brother saying that Courtney needed a blood transfusion, I didn’t want to take any chances so I went to the place that I had last saw her about two weeks before and again they were gone. That was around November of 1992. I tried and tried to contact Beverly but to no avail.

When the District Attorney’s office started sending my support checks back, I went to the office to ask where my daughter was and why I was getting the checks back. I was told that Beverly was no longer receiving AFDC. When I inquired about my court-ordered visitation, they told me that they could not help me and that I needed an attorney. When I told the lady that the judge had granted me visitation, she replied “so what” they were not going to do anything about it.

I did not have the money for an attorney so I started my search for Courtney. I called everyone in the phonebook with her last name also to no avail. The last I knew, Beverly did not own a car so I would sit at the bus station in hopes to catch her so that I could see my daughter, and that was around spring to summer of 1993. I would follow up on every little tip I got for about 2 years. I ended up moving to Bakersfield in late 1994, I would go to the District Attorney’s office when I would think of something new. Almost every time the receptionist would tell me that she could not help me. Only one time did they even bother to ask one of their attorneys if there was anything that could be done. The attorney would not even speak to me, they just told the clerk to tell me to hire an attorney or private investigator. NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DON’T THINK ABOUT MY COURTNEY. The frustration and stress of it turned a moderate case of depression into a major problem.

In March of 1998, I was working as an X-ray Tech/Medical Assistant and sustained a major injury at work, which required 3 surgeries over a 3 year time frame. I am also a service-connected disabled Veteran.

The Worker’s Comp case was settled in 2003, which enabled me to afford an attorney, but when I talked to them I was told that I needed to hire a private investigator. I did this and did not get anything that would help me, except that I learned I could do searches myself over the Internet so I started to do so. Finally, on August 14, 2006, I sent an email to a Beverly J that I had found online. I left the house for a couple hours and when I returned there was a message on my answering machine. It was a friend of Beverly’s by the name of Amy, in Rawlins, Wyoming, who said that I had found the right person and to call her back. I was so excited. I was sure that after all this time I was going to get to see Courtney again. When I called Amy back my whole world was crushed when she told me that Beverly had given Courtney up for adoption.

I thought that Beverly was my only hope for getting information on the adoption. There were phone conversations and emails sent back and forth. She told me lie after lie regarding the adoption. When I asked her when, she told me spring of 1992. When I reminded her we went to court around April of 1992, she then changed the date to around April of 1993. When I asked her why, she told me that she had been raped and had become pregnant and homeless. I knew that was a lie because the county was providing her a place to live before the adoption. I asked her why she did not contact me as she knew that there was no way that I would let my child be on the streets. Her answer was if I was not going to be in her life then she was not going to let me be in Courtney’s life. She told me her son was 11 in August of 2006, I later learned that Courtney’s adoption was final in February 1993, so the numbers were wrong.

It only took a matter of four days before she started on ways to con me out of money. She said she was about to be evicted and did not have money for rent or to buy school clothes for her son. She had also stated that she was married. When I asked why her husband was not helping her, she said that he beat her and would never give her money. She also stated that they were about to get a divorce. She then told me that she needed $1500 dollars. I asked her if she could get by with less and she was quick to let me know not to send it to her house and gave me a PO Box to send it to and stated this was due to her husband being the jealous type. I know it was wrong of me, but the second private investigator I hired to find Courtney said he needed Beverly’s parents name and where they lived. So I agreed to send her money. I sent her $500 dollars and she gave me the information on her parents.

The private investigator that I hired said that he talked to her father and he stated that he did not have anything to do with Beverly. All he said about Courtney was that it was a shame about the little girl. After that, she tried to con me a couple more times and then claimed she was going to move to where her father was to take care of him because he was real sick and I have not been able to contact her since, which I have tried several times through email, etc.

The private investigator had also informed me that I needed to get the court records to prove that I had visitation. The ladies there treated me as though I had no rights at all. I got there at 3:45 pm, the clerk told me it would take 30 minutes. At 4:45 pm, I went back to the window and was told that I could not get the copies until the next day knowing that I had just driven an hour and a half to get there.

I got a room for the night and the next morning when I returned, there was a different woman at the window. She said “oh, it’s you” and told me to stand there and put paperclips on the papers that I wanted copies of. I came across one that had Courtney’s Social Security Number on it and I said “cool, this will help.” The woman said, “you do know that it costs 15 cents a copy” and I asked her if she wanted “cash, check, or credit card.” When she gave me the copies from the originals that I had paper clipped, the one with the Social Security Number on it no longer had the number on it. I already had Courtney’s SSN, I didn’t need it anyway.

I went to the hall of records to try and get her birth certificate. The lady there was very nice, she brought me one that wasn’t Courtney’s, when I told her, she told me she was very sorry and went to check again. When she came back, she told me she was sorry she could not find it and further told me that it could be in Sacramento sealed. She told me that she would check for me and call me. When I returned home, she had already called and left a message stating that yes it had been sealed and that I could call her if I liked. I did, and she gave me all the information that she could. We need more people like Angela working for Kern County. Kern County workers who work in Child Protective Services, Social Services Department, and Family Court Division should learn that not all men are dead beat dads or beat women. They should learned not to judge people by what they look like or by what they wear.

Getting nowhere with my search with Kern County, I called the State Department of Social Services. I talked to a couple of clerks who could teach the Kern County clerks on how to make a man feel like his problems are of no importance. I just kept asking to speak to supervisors until I got a man on the phone who listened to my story and gave me the information that put my search in the right direction. The gentleman revealed to me that the adoption took place in Alameda County.

I went online and got the numbers to the Alameda County Social Services Department. Of course the first couple of people I talked to basically told me to get lost. I kept looking and found the number to the supervisor of the Social Services Department of Alameda County. I left him a message explaining why I called and the very next day I got a call from a very kind lady, who told me how the Bakersfield adoption attorney and Beverly was able to lie to the judge and have my Courtney ripped away from her father and her sisters. She told me that Beverly told the court under oath that she came to Rosamond to visit a friend and happened to bump into me. She further stated that I was homeless, drunken doper with no car, and that my clothes were dirty, all lies. The court ordered Beverly’s attorney to do the state mandated search for me. The attorney she used was one that had done my recent divorce. I have letters from this law firm with his name on them addressed to the same PO Box that I have been getting mail in my entire life, the same address that was and still is on my driver’s license. I was still living at the same house where I was served the paternity papers.

There is no way that this attorney did even the minimal search required by California Law. I also believe that this is the reason that he took the adoption to Alameda County to be done. He knew who I was and where I was and could have notified me of the court date for the adoption hearing. He knew from my divorce that I would have raised Courtney because joint custody of my other two daughters was my only concern in the divorce. His only concern in this case was getting paid. I learned from the Alameda County Social Worker that the adoption was final in February 1993.

I have talked to this attorney’s ex-partner, who is very well-known in Bakersfield and Delano that he said he broke the partnership up because he was doing shady adoptions. The Social Worker tells me that Beverly was given the opportunity to keep in touch with Courtney, but didn’t and she says that she is currently trying to contact the adoptive parents to let them know about me.

In no way do I want to upset Courtney’s life, but she has the right to know her father and sisters and to know that we are here with open arms and a loving heart.

In the meantime, I just have to wait as I have been doing for over 13 years. I don’t sleep because of this and it is and has been affecting all aspects of my life.

If there is anyone that has information that can help me or any attorney interested in helping me with this case, please contact me. My email address is hking3453@sbcglobal.net

Thank you,

Henry King

Claire Smeed Installed as President,Woman's Club of Bakersfield,2007-2008

The Woman’s Club of Bakersfield held its 111^th Installation Ceremony and Luncheon on May 21, 2007. Incoming President Claire J. Smeed was honored by California Federation of Women’s Clubs President Tammy Guensler, guest speaker, who performed the Installation Ceremony. Members and guests were treated to a Cordon bleu luncheon catered by Hodel’s and a program presented by First Chair Flautist, Nancy Ayala and Laura Porter, Harpist of the Bakersfield Symphony. For all of those who helped make this installation luncheon so special, we thank you!

Mrs. Smeed has been an important part of the Woman’s Club for many years. She ran an all-woman automotive re-distribution service that received a lot of attention. It was written up in Automotive News, The Wall Street Journal and The Bakersfield Californian. Mrs. Smeed was one of the women mentioned in the book Boss Lady. She continues to work with her husband in their real estate and land management business. She also flies her own plane. President Claire Smeed’s theme is “Empowering Women to Serve our Club and our Community." Claire says “Come fly with me!” Ladies interested in joining us, please call 325-7889. We are located at 2030 Eighteenth Street.

D.R.E.A.M act event this Wednesday july 4th

Walking across the graduation stage for a high school student can bring about thoughts of present status in robe, future endeavors of life and past movements of people.

Different reasons can cause students to think upon one of those areas more heavily than the other, but with one area not existing without the other.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors act was introduced in 2001. The heart of this bill deals with immigrant children being allowed the chance to gain legal status and use the information that they have received in the field of their study in an actual job that deals with that study.

Although the parents of immigrant children sacrificed themselves upon leaving their initial land for the betterment of their families, the undocumented status is still placed upon the child and puts that child in a confusing position of going to school not knowing if they will be able to continue their education after high school, and if they do continue their schooling if they will be able to utilize that information in a way that can better society.

Over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school every year. Many of them contain a brilliance that is forced to a limitation due to their status. Future nurses, doctors, writers and teachers who can give back to society do not get the opportunity to give back the skills they may have because of the status that their parents have left them with.

The D.R.E.A.M act will let these students and the society in which they have lived in recognize their potential by placing them in a situation to be potential citizens of this country.

Under the D.R.E.A.M act, which is also a part of the overall comprehensive immigration reform, the person must have been under the age of 16 when they entered the United States and have been here for five continuous years. If the person then receives their high school diploma or G.E.D they qualify for a six year conditional residency and if that person completes two years of college or two years of military service, then they are eligible to move that conditional title into a permanent position of stay.

Students and people who are in support of the D.R.E.A.M act will be participating in a week long fast that moves up California, with the culmination of the event in San Francisco at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office.

The first stop is on July 2 in Santa Ana, the next day is in Pasadena and the third day is right here in Bakersfield on July 4. The following day is at San Jose State and then the event will end at Pelosi’s office from the 6^th through the 9^th.

The event in Bakersfield will be at Heritage Park from 12 p.m to 4 p.m. It is encouraged to bring out the family and support students who are hoping this piece of legislation is made law so they can contribute another element of their being to society. Dolores Huerta will speak at the event.

FREE DOG TO GOOD HOME!!!

I have an awesome dog that I will give to someone who can provide a good home for him.

His name is Freeman.

He is about 2 years old, he is fixed, and he has had all of his shots.

He is a mix of some sort (please see the photos below):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/jamesmongold/photos017.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y220/jamesmongold/photos020.jpg

He does NOT get along with cats, but he is EXTREMELY loving and sweet and sensitive, and he will love you to pieces.

He gets along great with other dogs, and is kid friendly.

Call James at 661-599-5626 to meet him.

Thanks!

Thank You Lord!

Thank You Lord !

But this song I will sing for You

   For Eternity my Lord I will praise You

   Thank You Lord for the serenity You’ve given me

Thank You Lord for the peace You’ve given me

Thank You Lord for the joy You’ve given me

   For Eternity my Lord I will praise You

   Thank You Lord for keeping me in control

With poems I will praise You

But this song I will sing for You

   Yours for Eternity I will be

    The purest love in You I see

Thank You for making a believer out of me

With poems I will praise You

   But this song I will sing for You

   For Eternity my Lord Yours I will be

For Eternity my Lord I will praise You

   Thank You my Lord for Calvary

Thank You my Lord for the life You’ve given me

   Thank You for the house and the two Cats You’ve given me!
Lord with poems I will Praise You

Why Play ASA Softball

larger view

Amateur Softball Association

Softball is a way of life for thousands of people each year, and their choice for softball is the Amateur Softball Association, the national governing body of softball in the United States.

Not every team can come home with a national championship, but the ASA softball program gives people an opportunity to have clean, competitive fun playing slow pitch, fast pitch or modified pitch, at levels ranging from district to national championship.

Since its founding in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association has given the sport direction and strived to have the best program possible for the millions of people who play amateur softball each summer. Many of them started playing in the ASA's Junior Olympic program before moving up to the adult divisions of play.

ASA has kept its hand on the pulse of the softball community in America and, when needed, has added divisions of championship play to meet the interests of those involved in the ASA program.

Today, ASA has more than 90 national championships, ranging from 10-under fast pitch to 75-over slow pitch. Annually more than 40,000 players participate in ASA National Championship Finals and they are assured of playing some of the best teams in America.

The tournaments they participate in are run by well-qualified tournament staffs who care about the players participating in their national tournament and want them to enjoy playing in an ASA adult national championship.

Jess Maxey of Yukon, OK, had this to say a few years ago after his team played in an ASA national championship.

"We played in a lot of tournaments and won most of them, even so-called world tournaments, but it wasn't until we got to the ASA nationals that we realized we had distinguished ourselves by earning a spot among the best. It was exciting to compete against some of the legendary teams in the sport and realize that they had also earned the right to be there. There is nothing like an ASA national. It's a tournament that means something and it creates memories that will stay with you for a lifetime."

It's the substance behind ASA national championships that make them the best of the rest and teams realize they have accomplished something they can be proud of for a lifetime.

Besides well-run national championships, the participants are assured of nothing but the best in umpiring. Each year more than 40,000 umpires register with one of the more than 84 ASA local associations. The ASA annually hosts local, state and national umpire clinics, which cover the nation and bring together the best instruction available in the sport to all 15 regions of the ASA. The ASA strives to make its umpires the best they can be, and ASA umpires are known for their professionalism and expertise.

Besides playing in national championships, the ASA program offers players, if they are selected to one of the USA National Teams, an opportunity to compete in the Olympics, Pan American Games and ISF World Championships, as well as other national and international events.

As the NGB of softball, the ASA is the only softball organization that can offer players the opportunity to play in these prestigious events, which are often held throughout the world. The 2004 Olympics, for example, will be held in Greece, and USA Softball is responsible for selecting and training the USA Olympic Team for the 2008 Games. In the past three Olympics, 1996, 2000, and 2004 the USA National Team has won the gold medal.

To help players improve their skills for not only these prestigious events but for national championships as well, the ASA offers clinics, camps, publications and videos, all designed to help people become better playing America's summer pastime - softball.

To learn more about the ASA program in your local area contact the appropriate ASA commissioner and learn why ASA has it all for softball.

Stoplights erected at killer highway crossing

Commuters along Taft Highway 119 can finally see stoplights above the deadly crossing at Enos Lane.

They just can't see them lighting up yet.

The lights, which were erected last week, won't start signaling until late July, according to a Cal-Trans spokesperson, but "they're up," says Forth District Supervisor Ray Watson "and we're very excited to see that finally happen."

The intersection is one of the most dangerous in the forth district, and lights are something Watson and other community leaders have wanted to see for quite some time. "Supervisor Watson and I have been leaning on Cal-Trans about that intersection for years," said Taft City Councilman Cliff Thompson. "Stoplights are just one more thing
that needed to happen to make that road safer."

On June 9 two men were killed just west 119 and Enos Lane, and on March 30 18-year old Chelsea Holston of Arroyo Grande was killed in a crash in that intersection as well. Her passenger, Amber Davenport, was comatose for two weeks as a result of the crash but has since
recovered.

Accidents like those have put the deadly crossing on the radar screen of people outside of the Bakersfield and Taft areas as well.

David Goller of New Cuyama Towing, in a recent letter to The Independent, wrote "On March 30 my driver and my tow truck were involved in a collision at that intersection . . . I've been wondering for years why there hasn't been a light there."

Cal-Trans said the project was originally approved on July 29 of 2005 but has hit delays along the way. Construction began in September of 2006 but was put on hold due to a winter suspension, with construction starting up again in April of this year. According to the statement from Caltrans, "This project was generated by Caltrans Headquarters
based on the number of accidents at this intersection . . . this project will be complete and the traffic lights will be operational by the end of July 2007."

Several years ago Westside Waste Management owner Bob Hampton sponsored an independent traffic study on hwy 119, and the results yielded a count of nearly 2000 commuters heading westbound on 119 between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00 a.m.

Taft Mayor Paul Linder is one of the highway's several thousand daily commuters. Linder, the Director of Transportation Services for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, lives in Taft but drives to Bakersfield for work on weekdays."That intersection is very dangerous," said Linder in a recent interview with The Taft Independent "every time I go through it I'm slowing down and watching for cars. I'm happy to see a light going up there, but we still have to be careful."

BAKERSFIELD GIRL DOES GREAT!!

US Air Force MAJOR Stacy Jo Craig (formerly Stacy Jo HAZLE

1980 graduate of West High), graduated with her second Masters Degree from "Air Command and Staff College" in Montgomery, Alabama on June 11th 2007.

She attended a military ball held in honor of the graduates with her husband Dr. Kern Craig and her parents, Nancy and Gregg Hazle of Bakersfield. Her new assignment is that of Instructor at the Air Command and Staff College.

Catch of the week

Mike Strong 64, of Bakersfield caught this 59 lb sailfish recently in Mazatlan,Mexico.

After the Freeze: A United Community

The devastating freeze this past winter brought economic chaos to our agricultural region, not only for farmers, but especially the working-class.

Thousands of agricultural workers, from farm laborers to packing shed workers and truck drivers, lost their jobs overnight; the citrus harvest became paralyzed. Isabel Martinez’ family experienced the devastation first hand. “If you are farm worker,” said Martinez, “this is not the kind of occupation, that will make you rich. With a freeze like the one of this year we remained without money to pay for our needs such as house rent, the utilities, or food”.

In Kern County, thousands of agricultural workers and their families faced the same challenge as the Martinez family. Immediately community organizations, elected officials, businesses, and hundreds of volunteers, united to coordinate aid to the freeze victims through the Freeze Relief Coalition.

Isabel Martinez, originally from San Juan Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, and her husband have six children with a seventh on the way. At the time of the freeze Isabel worked in the mandarin orchards which were greatly affected. “I did not know that there was aid available for the freeze victims like me,” she said.

Eventually Isabel exhausted her savings and she began searching for answers. She found assistance through information provided by Radio Campesina discovering available help with the payment of rent for her mobile home. “I went to the Veterans Hall in Arvin, they asked to me if I could verify with check stubs if I really worked in the field when the freeze happened”, said Isabel.

At the Veteran’s Hall the Martinez family received food immediately from the Partnership Food Bank and information for utility assistance. Though the rent assistance took 20 days from the beginning process to receiving the check in the mail, the assistance of the Coalition made living possible, in an otherwise hopeless situation and while the financial assistance came through funds raised by the Coalition, a vital link was the role of Hispanic based media who stepped up to the plate and got the word out to the people [listeners, readers, and viewers] that help was available. “We may not have the dollars ourselves to give actual money, but we offer what we do have, the venue of our station,” said Roberto Solorio, Senior Producer of Radio Campesina who joined a force of local media which included print, radio, television, and the world wide web.

Through the efforts of the Freeze Relief Coalition, the freeze not only brought negative events, the freeze formed bonds within the community and demonstrated that in Kern County there is a desire to respond to emergencies and help out our neighbor. There is a realization that there are many times laborers don’t know that help is available.

The Freeze Relief Coalition integrated agencies like Community Action Partnership of Kern through their Partnership Food Bank, Employers' Training Resource (ETR), Radio Campesina, and over thirty other collaborating agencies and organizations.

Services such as rent, mortgage and utility assistance; employment training; food assistance; and more continue to be provided through the Coalition partners and can be accessed by calling HelpLine at 661-336-5200.

Is it worth it?

We want your opinions! Have you seen a movie, heard an album, played a video game, or bought a gadget lately that you thought was definitely worth the purchase? Or would your money have been better spent elsewhere?

Post your reviews to www.bakersfield.com/yourwords. We'll run selections in the Eye Street section of The Bakersfield Californian.

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