Recent Blog Posts: Tehachapi News

YOU WORRY ME!

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:32:21 PDT

Unlike any of my previous postings (short and very much unlike Sam Heath...and I hope he doesn't delete this) this one is long but worth the time to read it all...and let it sink in:

Jim Richards

This pilot hit the nail on the head in his open letter. He needs to be
awarded a Medal for having the TESTICULAR FORTUITUDE to say all this in a
very profound way! The paper stated today that some Muslim doctor is
saying we are profiling him because he has been checked three times while
getting on an airplane.

The following is a letter from a pilot. This well-spoken man, who is a
pilot with American Airlines, says what is in his heart, beautifully.
Read, absorb and pass this on.

"YOU WORRY ME!"
By American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco

I've been trying to say this sinc e 9-11, but you worry me. I wish you
didn't. I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I
love, that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human
landscape we enjoy in this country. But you don't blend in anymore. I
notice you, and it worries me.

I notice you because I can't help it anymore. People from your homelands,
professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow
citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now. I don't fully
understand their grievances and hate, but I know that nothing can justify
the inhumanity of their attacks.

On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my
country. They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally
stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed
them into buildings killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise
grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless
public servants, and children's mothers.

The Palestinians Celebrated, the Iraqis were overjoyed as was most of the
Arab world. So, I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't
want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has
destroyed the soul of these terrorists. But, I need your help. As a
rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an
irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference
between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist.

How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the
Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools,
enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of
OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter
these same good neighbors and children?

The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my
responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with
ALL of its religions, with ALL of its different citizens, with all of its
faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it
for me.

I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know, whether or
not you love America. Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you
proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in
your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will
protect and prosper it? Or, do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one
of your Jihads? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation
affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of
thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you
willing to preserve this freedom by also paying the ultimate sacrifice?
Do you love America? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start
letting ME know about it.

Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this
time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking
as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America.
Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent
because I worry about who you regard as innocent. No more benign
overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about
what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy. I
am only interested in action. What will you do for America - our great
country - at this time of crisis, at this time of war?

I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I
want to hear you chanting "Allah Bless America." I want to see young
Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of
money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this
nation as a whole.

The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the
WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim
communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand them over to
us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action.
Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even
tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed
security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You
have screamed for protection from reprisals.

The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media
were defensive and equivocating. They seemed more concerned with making
sure that the United States proves who was responsible before taking
action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims
from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than
they did with supporting our country and denouncing "leaders" like
Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat.

If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for
all people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements
from popular Muslim leaders to back it up. What good is it if the
teachings in the Koran are good, and pure, and true, when your "leaders"
are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance? It
matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's
Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a
degenerative form of the religion. A form that has been demonstrated to
us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation
of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from
the prisons around the world. A form whose members (some as young as five
years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year,
marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our
presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A
form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms
against the great United States of America, the country of their birth. A
form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to
show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.

We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that
matter, to take way that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the
greatest constitution in the world.

I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think
it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to
demand it. A right paid for by the blood of th ousands of my brothers and
sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you
and your family. I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here
as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American.

But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance
and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. Until then, "YOU WORRY
ME!"

Cheated: I Deserved a Darwin Award

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:47:13 PDT

As though I needed further proof that life is unfair I have been cheated of a Darwin Award. Too many times in my life I have done things richly deserving of the award only to have guardian angels butt in and interfere thereby depriving me of the distinction I tried so hard to earn.

In mining, with which I am very familiar by experience, it is called “The Prudent Man Clause.” This requires you to prove to the government your claim would be profitable to work. Unfortunately, jurisprudence in America has fallen into such disarray it seems the prudent part often falls into the category of “The law is either a bachelor or an ass,” an increasingly unwieldy Rube Goldberg apparatus and a patchwork of laws too often at odds with each other. Who, for example, would have believed a judge would sue for millions of dollars over a pair of pants and such a thing ever even make it into a court of law? As though “How much justice can you afford?” is not bad enough, America has become such a litigious society it seems you must be either very poor or very wealthy to survive. That is, unless you are a politician or a judge in which cases the laws ordinary citizens are bound by seem not to apply.

Of course, if everyone was endowed with equal prudence there wouldn’t be any Darwin Awards, which discounting the fact the “winners” are people that get seriously hurt or killed for their lack of prudence give us a laugh about how some people can do things that are really stupid. Note that I do not say such people are stupid, but that they did stupid things qualifying them for this onerous award. However, were it not for guardian angels, in my opinion, some of the stupid things I have done might well have earned me such a distinction. So I’m not as quick to laugh at the winners of the Darwin Awards as some others might be. And looking back I can be forgiven for thinking that living to my elder status has been nothing short of miraculous.

Generally we think of prudence being a mark of maturity and without question people mature at different rates, if they mature at all. We do not expect the same level of prudence in children that we do of adults. Bill Watterson certainly understood this, which made his Calvin and Hobbes so successful. Quite understandably to Calvin his parents simply were unreasonable denying his reasonable requests for things like flamethrowers and bazookas.

When I was a boy living here on the mining claim I was awakened one night by a skunk that had come into the cabin. It was an entrancing idea to have my very own pet skunk. Like Calvin, I did not ask my grandparents a question I already knew would provoke a negative response. Instead, I began leaving table scraps for my nocturnal visitor without bothering to inform my grandparents. Then one night the dog tangled with the skunk and we were all awakened by the horrendous odor throughout the cabin. My grandfather in particular exhibited a very negative and uncharitable attitude towards my pet and planned its demise. Leaving out some cyanide-laced sardines he figured that would do the trick. However, the skunk having been miffed by the dog’s attempt to be friendly didn’t return. But grandad’s plan did bear fruit. A couple of days later I found our cat dead. On my side, perhaps grandad should have known the cat would be a likely victim of his plan for a deceased skunk.

Well, I don’t dare bore readers with the stupid things I have done in my life (can’t you just hear Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles saying “Dare, dare”). Suffice it to say (dang) I have done too many stupid things in my life to call anyone else stupid. And no matter the detractors of Intelligent Design I believe I am living proof of guardian angels. Nevertheless, people do stupid things and we still get a chuckle out of the Darwin Awards.

Anyone planning to buy the iPhone?

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 11:41:00 PDT

So, the does-it-all iPhone went on sale today. Is anyone planning to buy one?

For myself, I never even bothered to get a phone that takes pictures, let alone all that other stuff. And $500 for a phone?????? And that doesn't even include the cost for the phone line to access all of that cool iPhone stuff.

For that price it should be able to cook and take care of my laundry.

Why delete other peoples blog comments????

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:55:21 PDT

I just wondered what the point of these blogs is. I understand that we all have different views and I have seen some pretty heated discussions on this blog site. I recently responded to one of the lengthy blogs, which by the way i dont usually read. It was regarding the Killer Kern. I was not disrespectful except when i told him maybe he needed to prop his eyes open (open his mind), which really isn't disrespectful...just my opinion. Anyway, he deleted all of my comments and only kept the positive comments to his blog. Why would anyone not allow others to voice their opinions, which by the way mine all had valid points. Closed mindedness? Hmmm.

Bakersfield Drama News #5 (Weekend of June 30th, 2007)

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 09:18:20 PDT

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This Week In Bakersfield Theatre - weekend of June 30th, 2007

It's another week of summer blockbusters on the local arts scene!

Hair opened this past weekend to near-capacity crowds. Though the show is 40 years old, it is still shockingly relevant. Audience members were laughing, crying, offended, moved, and freaked out. Don't miss it, and make sure to make reservations early. I'm predicting many sold out houses.

One of the highlights of this summer season has been Space: The Musical and this is their LAST WEEKEND! It's an original, hilarious musical parodying your favorite space-themed TV shows and movies. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure to head down to the Gaslight before it blasts off forever.

Last summer brought us the surprise hit "The History of Rock & Roll." If you saw the last show, you discovered how fun it was to reminisce through some of the best (& worst) songs of the past 50 years...performed in style at the Spotlight. This year, I can't wait to see what they've done as HR&R goes to the movies. This opening weekend will be blast.

Rocky Horror comes back to the Empty Space as well on Friday & Saturday. This midnight madness is one of the best parties in town...and features local celebrity Meathead as Eddie (Whatever happened to Saturday night!).

There are a couple of auditions to tell you about, and I'm stealing Jen Raven's blog to tell you about all of the ART SHOW events in the near future (check that out under miscellaneous).

I've got a fun video up to give you a taste of hair, and I'm hoping to bring you some Rock & Roll next week. (See Theatre Addict TV).

Thanks for supporting the arts. There is lots to support this weekend. Enjoy!

-Aaron Mauldin
Editor

Contents:

Shows

Hair Empty Space
SPACE: The Musical Gaslight Melodrama
The History of Rock & Roll Goes To The Movies Spotlight Theatre
Rocky Horror Picture Show Empty Space

Auditions

Burn This - July 2 & 3 - Empty Space
I Killed Him - July 7 & 8 - Bakersfield Community Theatre

Misc.

Pay Attention! Art shows & events - by Jen Raven
Theatre Addict TV Epsidoe 6 - Hair

Shows:

Hair

Playing through July 14th

THE EMPTY SPACE

Friday & Saturday at 8PM

The Empty Space is excited to present Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical! Hair was a significant part of the drug, music and peace-love culture of the 1960's putting rock music and the culture that went with it on stage. The show has a strong effect on everyone, and acts as a bridge between generations and viewpoints. Phenomenal musical numbers include Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine, Hair, and many more. The lyrics show more depth than noticed at first glance, borrowing anything from the drug culture to Shakespeare.

This show has a vitality, a timelessness and a meaning that outlives the late 1960's and early 1970's in America. "...be free, no guilt, be whoever you are, do whatever you want, just as long as you don't hurt anyone." This Utopian philosophy incorporates many concepts which supply lyrics for a show comprised almost exclusively of rock musical numbers. As a social commentary of our times, Hair provides an insight into the philosophy of the flower children of the 1960's. Come see the first and most successful of the rock musicals this June and July at The Empty Space. Opening June 22 and running through July 14, Hair promises to be THE event of the summer!

The Empty Space
706 Oak Street
Bakersfield, CA 93304

http://www.esonline.org

(661) 327-PLAY

SPACE: The Musical

Closing weekend!

AT THE GASLIGHT MELODRAMA & MUSIC HALL

Friday & Saturday at 7PM, Sunday at 2PM

Watch the video preview on YouTube

Written by James Mongold and Michael Prince
Directed by Michael Prince

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the release of the first “Star Wars” movie, the Gaslight Melodrama Theatre and Music Hall is paying tribute with their latest production, which opens exactly thirty years to the day of the original “Star Wars” motion picture. Come on down dressed as your favorite "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" character and experience the most fun you’ll have all summer.

Join the crew of the USS Rent-A-Ship as their fearless leader, Captain James B. Jerk, leads them in a battle against the evil Flingons in a fight to save the Galaxy from intergalactic war. With the help of young Duke Flyswatter and the old, but wise Master Won Ton Kenobi, there’s no way this adventure could be anything short of fun. This comedic parody, which lampoons everything from Star Wars to Star Trek, is sure to be a show every techie, trekkie and family will enjoy.

Followed by a brand new Vaudville Revue:

“Whatever Happened To Broadway”
written & directed by Warren Dobson

A comedic, musical tribute to all things “Broadway”.

Both shows starring: Garrett Marshall, Greg Ramsdell, Ken Burdick, Jay Stodder, Christie Maturo, Michael Prince, Coryn McBride, Kate Jeffrey, Andy Jeffery and Matt Thompson

Where: The Gaslight Melodrama Theatre & Music Hall
12748 Jomani Dr.
Bakersfield, CA 93312
(661) 587-3377

When: May 25th – June 30th 2007
Friday 7:00pm
Saturday 7:00pm
Sunday 2:00pm

Prices: General Admission $17.00 Matinee Prices: General $15.00
Seniors $15.00 Student $7.50
Child (12 & under) $7.50 Child $7.50

The Gaslight Melodrama & Music Hall is owned and operated by Arnie Carlos and Linda Larma (Producers).

The History of Rock & Roll Goes To The Movies

Opening Weekend!

AT THE SPOTLIGHT THEATRE

Friday & Saturday at 8PM

A new tradition returns to the Spotlight Theatre this summer, as we present the sequel to last year’s smash hit "The History of Rock & Roll" with this year’s "THE HISTORY OF ROCK & ROLL GOES TO THE MOVIES!" While last year’s production took us on a musical journey from the start of rock and roll to the present, this time around, we focus on songs from movies, dating all the way back to the early days of cinema! When our movie host meets our music host, the two combine for a show with acting, singing, dancing, and more! This show is sure to be fun for the entire family!

Excluding songs from established musicals, this year’s production has songs that were made famous because of the movies they were in! The show includes everything from Judy Garland and the Andrews Sisters to Coolio and Eminem! And we also include famous scenes from movies like Casablanca, High Noon, Singin’ In the Rain, The Graduate, Young Frankenstein, Animal House, 9 to 5, The Blues Brothers, Rocky III, Footloose, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Moulin Rouge and more! Featuring performers like Abbott and Costello, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, James Bond, Barbra Streisand, Isaac Hayes, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Madonna, Oingo Boingo, Bette Midler, Whitney Houston, Leann Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Celine Dion, the Soggy Bottom Boys, Peabo Bryson, Phil Collins, and more surprises!

For tickets and information, call the Spotlight Theatre box office at 634-0692 or visit us at 1622 19th St.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

One Weekend Only!

AT THE EMPTY SPACE

Friday & Saturday at MIDNIGHT

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the ultimate movie experience. First released in 1975, RHPS quickly became known for its sexual debauchery and encouraged audiences to “Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.” It is a mad mix of classic horror/sci-fi, super-charged sensuality, and outrageous fantasy. After Janet accepts Brad's marriage proposal, the happy couple drive away from Denton, Ohio, only to get lost in the rain. They stumble upon the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite who is holding the annual convention of visitors from the planet Transsexual. Frank-N-Furter unveils his creation, Rocky Horror, who fears the doctor and rejects his sexual advances. When Frank-N-Furter announces that he is returning to the galaxy Transylvania, Riff Raff the butler, and Magenta the maid, declare that they have plans of their own. The brain child of Richard O’Brien, this musical is an action-packed romance that has Transylvanian parties... thrills & chills...lots of laughs…and of course SEX!

RHPS contains 16 great songs...Including "The Time Warp", "Sweet Transvestite", and "Whatever Happened To Saturday Night?” performed by our very own Meathead from KRAB Radio. DREAM IT IN YOUR LIVING ROOM, BE IT IN THE THEATRE! The Rocky Horror Picture Show has made audience participation an institution, so come join the outrageous Rocky Horror experience at The Empty Space on June 29th and 30th.

Where: The Empty Space
When: June 29th and 30th
Doors open at 11
Preshow at 11:30
The lips sing at Midnight

Auditions:

Burn This

Written by Lanford Wilson

Directed by Justin Brooks

July 2 & 3 from 6-9 PM at the Empty Space

3 male parts and 1 female part

THE STORY: The place is a Manhattan loft shared by Anna, a lithe young dancer-choreographer, and her two gay roommates—her collaborator, Robby, who has just been killed in a freak boating accident, and Larry, a world-weary, caustically funny young advertising executive. As the play begins Anna is recovering from attending Robby's funeral, comforted by her wealthy, well-meaning boyfriend, Burton, a sci-fi screenwriter whose persistent proposals of marriage Anna finds herself unable to accept. Then, with sudden, unexpected explosiveness, Robby's older brother, Pale, bursts on the scene. He has come to collect his brother's belongings—but stays on to transform the action of the play and the lives of those in it. Menacing, profane, dangerous and yet oddly sensitive, Pale is both terrifying and fascinating and, in the end, the one who brings to Anna the unsettling but compelling love that, despite her fears and doubts, she cannot turn away.

I Killed Him

An original play written and directed by Barry Wolcott

July 7 & 8 from 1-4 and July 10 from 7-9 at Bakersfield Community Theatre

Show dates are August 10, 11, 17, & 18. Cast includes 9 people. 3 males and 6 females ages 20's to 40's.

Miscellaneous:

Pay attention! Art shows & events

By Jen Raven

There's a lot going on this summer. You don't want to miss any of it!

June 30th ... if you haven't heard what's happening by now; COME OUT FROM UNDER THAT ROCK, AND JOIN US AT THE 18TH STREET GALLERY!

In July ... You want to be at The Empty Space ... LOOK AT ALL THIS COOL STUFF ...

Also in July ... again; COME OUT FROM UNDER THAT ROCK ...

And in August ... Burn The Witch returns!

Mark your calenders today, so that you won't miss any of these amazing summer events!

Theatre Addict TV Episode 6 - Hair

Click on the image below to be taken to the YouTube page. You can watch the video right in your browser.

To subscribe in iTunes or download the full video file, visit the TATV page on the website.

NAMI Tehachapi Support Group Blog Now Open

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:14:27 PDT

The Tehachapi NAMI Support Group has been in existence for two years. Now, we are opening this blog to educate, encourage, and support all people who are dealing with mental illness - either as a consumer or a family member.

This will be the place to meet between meetings and events. Also, will be a place to keep informed about local services and events.

You are invited to join us. Post questions, answers, frustrations (be nice though), and information about what is going on with you and your family. Photos are welcome.

Please note: This blog is primarily about NAMI and mental health services in Tehachapi. Other organizations please contact us by e-mail for posting of your announcments. We welcome other organizations that serve those dealing with mental illness, but want to ensure that all who are represented here have the same goals and mission as the Tehachapi NAMI Support Group.

SING ALONG WITH ME!

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:10:21 PDT

This is OUR song! Sing along and enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJfS1v-fU0

Jim Richards

ALERT Still No Medguide Eli Lilly ZYPREXA

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:09:56 PDT

"Eli Lilly's introduction of Zyprexa and the FDA's complicity," he states, "have led to one of the greatest crimes in medical history in terms of the number of people harmed, the damage inflicted, and the grossness of fraud in promoting and advertising the drug."

Experts say Zyprexa qualifies for a MedGuide under all 3 categories:

(1) The labeling would definitely help prevent serious adverse events

(2) Few patients would be willing to take the drug and risk developing diabetes given that numerous studies have shown Zyprexa to be no more effective than the older class of antipsychotics that do not cause diabetes; and

(3) Most patients on Zyprexa would learn that the drug is not FDA approved to treat the condition they have.

LEARN MORE

No MedGuide for Zyprexa after Eleven Years of Death and Injury

Submitted by Daniel Haszard 4 year zyprexa user who got diabetes from it http://www.zyprexa-victims.com

The Killer Kern!

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:34:15 PDT

If you were swimming and fishing in the Kern River back in the 40s you might have heard someone say, “The Kern River mile for mile is the most dangerous river in the world for loss of lives.” Even as a kid I thought this farfetched, something fabulous or extravagant some of the grownups would say as a warning like; “Be careful with that BB gun; you can put your eye out.” And while I never actually knew a kid that had stuck the barrel of his BB gun up to his eye and pulled the trigger, such things actually happened through carelessness on some rare occasions; which only proved to me as a boy that occasionally some kids could be as stupid as some adults.

However, when I saw the very first warning sign about the Kern River posted at the mouth of the canyon years ago my first reaction was resentment. I resented some nanny government functionary stating the patently obvious fact that you could actually drown in the river! Hey! Here were the “grownups” telling me once more I could put my eye out with my BB gun! But really, I thought at the time, have people actually become so stupid they don’t know a plunge into boulder-strewn, white water rapids is a dangerous thing to do?

Over the years we have become accustomed, in many cases callous to the many ways government attempts to control our lives to the extent we now live in an America where anyone can be sued for any reason, an America where lawyers and judges rule our lives and in which Big Brother will step in and tell us “what is best for our own good,” but in the end no one from the President on down is expected to accept personal responsibility for anything.

We need warning labels in many instances, and that skull and crossbones logo on some medicines I recall from childhood, and still used today, were necessary. And kids need all the adult supervision possible at all times. As a child I needed someone to point out what that skull and crossbones on a label meant. But a child can, and too often does, drown in a pail of water because of the lack of adult supervision. Adults need caution labels on buckets warning them this can happen? There needs to be caution labels on bathtubs warning children can drown in them?

Perhaps the warning signs about the Kern River are a good thing. But when I was teaching shop classes, during safety instruction I would tell my pupils “You can make a machine foolproof; but you cannot make it fool proof.” Over the years I collected an archive of stories about fools that make the point.

From childhood I have been engaged in “risk behavior;” guns, motorcycles, fast cars and airplanes; all of which do not suffer fools, and will certainly kill fools. When I started flying in the 50s a fellow had a J3-Cub at the Torrance airport with “armstrong starter.” I didn’t need my buddy to tell me that prop could kill you if you didn’t watch yourself. There was no warning label on that prop and there is a very good reason the guy in the plane shouts “Contact!” when he is ready for you to pull that prop through to start the engine. What I didn’t expect was when we took off he decided to teach me how to put the bird in an intentional spin so I could learn how to recover. This is no longer allowed because of the danger of such a maneuver. I recall the placard prominently displayed on a WWII AT-6 at Minter Field that read: Do Not Put This Aircraft In An Intentional Spin!

So, there is a proper time and place for warning signs and labels. Perhaps the Kern River needs such signs. But the resentment remains that there are such people Big Brother needs to care for because they are fools. My resentment stems from there seeming to be no want of fools that need to be told they can actually drown in the Kern River. Worse; the less personal responsibility and personal accountability we see in our government the more the fools seem to outnumber those with just plain common sense. And the signs and labels just keep multiplying, but they will never prevent anyone from being a damned fool, they will never make the “Killer Kern” fool proof.

YA CAN'T TOUCH THIS!

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:04:21 PDT

Wonderland? I will be joining you in this game of croquet just as soon as I can glom on to this damn Flamingos legs.

Welcome to the brave new world where competition does not exist, rape and murder will bring you an average of 5 -7, a $20,000,000 fence, 7 miles long, can be built at the G8 conference in just a few days, and USA can't build one in as many years,

..... and NOW ...

"TOUCHING" ANOTHER STUDENT in any manner will get you thrown out of a West Virginia public School!

So California has a monopoly on eccentricity? I don't think so.

Congratulations goes out to West Virginia's psychological community on this latest revelation. You are succeeding in raising a polarized generation in which there will be two camps, rebellious hoodlums and basket cases.

In addition to the egregious offenses of "possessing aspirin", possession of "squirt guns", and the dreaded "thinking you out scored the other team in baseball", .... NOW, "shaking hands", "patting on the back", "giving another student a high five", or worst of all, the lurid and lascivious act of "holding hands" and/or any other form of salutation or affection in which your skin comes into contact with the skin of another, brings swift retribution West Virginia public school style.

And what is the punishment for the heinous crime of "touching" you ask? Well of course, immediate detention and thus, the forfeiture of education. Such a penalty will surely serve society well, won't it?

In an era when our public schools are turning out dysfunctional dunderheads who are more akin to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" then Bill Gates or Teddy Roosevelt, surely, "detention" will benefit an already de-evolving student body.

This is reminiscent and the living embodiment of the old joke about the couple who were inhibited so the shrink told them they required to approach love with more spontaneity. At the next visit to his office he asked "how did it go" and the husband answered "over dinner, we both reached for the salt shaker at the same time and when our hands touched, it was magic, ... "I threw her across the table and we made mad love". The shrink replies "that's great" and the husband says "the only drawback is we can never go back to our favorite restaurant".

As a young man, I thought my first intimate encounter with the opposite sex came and went just a little faster than it should have.

After a life time of total tactile depravation, when these kids grow up and get married, they may not be able to reproduce.

As I see it, the lesson here is two fold.

1) An idiot with a PHD is just an idiot.

2) Young parents in West Virginia seeking a real education for their children might do better to send them to East Virginia!

Academia strikes again ...... God help us!

monalisa

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 08:23:33 PDT

Hello to all!! my husband children and I move here the end of 2002 begining of 2003 and we are enjoying the small town.

I'am a stay at home mom part time and my husband is the full time provider my two children attend Tompkins Elementry School.

I've got to meet a lot of people and became friends with and enjoying their company.

My hobbies are staying in shape keeping up with my kids, crocheting, reading new things to get educatition on, and lots more.

Were a family of four and we enjoy to do different things going on vacation, getting together with my parent and my n~laws on birthdays....

Hope to hear from you soon to get to know you better.

Sincerely yours

monalisa

SECURE OUR BORDERS!

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:18:18 PDT

I just received this from Barbara Boxer and replied asking her why the hell she was so damned concerned about the Gaza/Egypt border and could care less about our own with Mexico? I don't think she will bother to respond since she is so isolated from her constituency!

Jim Richards

Dear Friend:

Earlier this month, I joined a bipartisan group of more than 30 Senators in expressing grave concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza. In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, we pointed out that the influx of sophisticated weapons into Gaza was dangerous for both Palestinians and Israelis, and we urged Secretary Rice to press the government of Egypt to do more to secure its border with Gaza.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL ALLAH!

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:05:38 PDT

Can't somebody find Jimmy Carter a rest home?

Carter's latest headline pontifications are to admonish America for it's lack of empathy for that warm and fuzzy social club, known as Hamas, the US opting to support Fatah, who we gratuitously call moderate because they give lip service to not wanting to kill every Jew in sight. Like those who say "Mussolini made the trains run on time" and "Hitler was very good to his mother", the radical left still claim that "Hamas does good things" and speak about them as if they are the Rotary Club, or the Optimists.

I'm not sure if the press reports Carter's ravings anymore so much because he is a former president, as because they can't believe what comes out of his mouth, and thus it plays to the reader like the press's equivalency of a freak side show.

Maybe he asks himself "what would Jesus do?" but given that Jesus was probably the only Jew who ever occupied the unholyland who seemed satisfied with the option of dying, the man is a fool and a "would be humanitarian" who knows nothing about human beings. He is a smoother David Duke, who like Carter, wraps himself in a cloak of alleged Christianity and from his "wolf in sheep's clothing suit" spews hatred for the Jewish homeland.

I too have problems with the idea of ANY homeland predicated on an ethnicity, however Carter appears to have no qualms when a murderer in a Kaffiya calls the entire Middle East "Moslem Land" or the slightest cognoscence of the mitigating circumstances that caused those living in the Jewish homeland to be first, expelled from Arab homelands in which they had co-existed for thousands of years and then joined by their fellows who were driven there from every corner of the globe, making them, the only true refugees in the Middle East.

One can only wonder if Carter had been born earlier would he have thought that WW2 was merely a diplomatic failure or that those who did not reason with Hitler were "impatient" and "intolerant"?

I'm not crazy about our current president either, but I do not express it by celebrating Ted Bundy's birthday.

Jimmy babe, "the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend".

In the name of the most merciful Allah, shut the f*** up!

Self Promotion

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:14:46 PDT

.

I wouldn't be much of a writer if I didn't think to do this now and then, so here are three pieces of mine that have appeared in the last couple months:

Living Literature

Chores

The Widower

America: The Devil’s House

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:21:20 PDT

“The house always wins,” or “The house never loses” if you prefer. As a boy living in Las Vegas the expressions became familiar to me, and my stepfather at the time, Jim Blaine who was a disk jockey for a local radio station, explained it to me. All gambling, not the Devil’s euphemism “gaming,” was designed keeping the odds in favor of the casinos no matter what “game” you chose. And so, no longer living in Norman Rockwell’s America, the America I recall that fought and won WWII, I look about and reflect on what has become the “Devil’s House,” an America in which the odds have been rigged to favor Satan. While that is a matter of personal theological speculation only, few would disagree America is in the hands of evil rulers intent only on their own power and wealth, not with the welfare of America as a sovereign nation or We the People.

It is really quite laughable to hear and read the self-professed “liberals” harrying and haranguing about the “religious right” as though this were a real bogeyman of which to be frightened. It is only when people like Bush, the Clintons, Kennedy, Jackson, Sharpton and those of their ilk choose to talk about their “faith” we have cause to be frightened. When it comes to matters of faith these are the real monsters that threaten us. None of the Devil’s servants really care about America, all they care about is serving their master, who rewards them with power and wealth. A wealthy Kennedy or Bush, there is no moral distinction; each will do what they can for the sake of ever growing power and wealth.

Not being a gambler, I would often watch those that did gamble. And whether in Las Vegas as a boy or Lake Tahoe and elsewhere as a grown man I noticed there was a distinct sameness to the people that gambled. Most showed an intent focus that would shame many church-goers. Easy riches were never far from the mind of the true believers worshipping in casinos. I know the kind of people that can actually watch poker games on TV, something the rational mind rejects as a waste of time at best. But for true believers, it is a form of worship.

The most disquieting thing to me, given my theological opinion, the world itself as the Devil’s domain. But to focus only on America as the largest, most gaudy and attractive of “casinos” in the history of the world and my not being a gambler and therefore excluded from the “action” is to watch with curiosity as the crowds are taken in by the promise of easy riches. Admittedly I don’t credit Bush with the intelligence to construct the empire of his imperial dreams, this requires the evil genius of those like Kennedy and Cheney that differ neither in degree nor kind to promote such a thing.

Like Atticus Finch refusing to fight with the evil Ewell, it isn’t the fear of a fight but the fact I’m now too old to get into the ring and mix it up with the Devil physically. And knowing that America is now the Devil’s House with a leadership of his servants that cares nothing about sacrificing men, women, and children, Americans or otherwise, to their evil dreams of empire I am now only an observer, taking time occasionally to express my thoughts about an America going to hell, an America that no matter how you place your bet is fast losing to the Devil, fast losing any distinction as a nation with a heritage, culture, common language or secure borders, those things that distinguish all other nations of the world and without which no nation can possibly survive.

Unlike religious institutions, casinos welcome everybody with money irrespective of their color or beliefs. When it comes to being a “uniter” rather than a “divider” the Devil knows his business. But he unites on the basis of the very worst traits among human beings, not the least of which is the trait of the unproductive demanding bread of the productive. And so America having become the land of “bread and circuses,” or in the case of America “drugs, bread, and circuses,” this great House of the Devil, this great casino of his called “America” will keep paying off like a slot machine. And never mind the games are rigged so the house never loses, those that buy into the Devil’s game know they have to win eventually; that is the mindset of those addicted to the Devil’s promise of easy riches. And the appellation “One-armed bandit” only applies to the losers, those who believe they can play by the rules of honesty and integrity, the chumps the casinos do not need in any event.

When my grandfather took my brother and me to the Fox theater in Bakersfield to see “Cabin in the Sky” as a morality play I was too young to realize the fascination gambling could have for people. What really had my attention was the Devil and “Junior.” I seem never to have forgotten the way the Devil plays his hand, of how the game is always rigged to favor Satan and heed the warning.

One of the first hints children get that life is not fair is when they ask why they can’t have a pony in their bedroom and the parents unreasonably answer “Because you can’t.” What seemed a perfectly reasonable request on the part of the child is too often balked by the obvious unreasonableness of parents who refuse to give satisfactory answers to their children and by force of tyrannical position and power will not let the child prevail.

But as I have mentioned in previous writings We the People are not asking Bush and Congress why we can’t have a pony in our bedroom. We are asking reasonable questions only to be treated like children, expected to submit to those with tyrannical positions of power rather than have our questions answered. And since those in power will not answer the reasonable questions of We the People, we can only believe the “adults” holding power in America are intent on making our nation into the world’s greatest and gaudiest casino, treating We the People as children and promising easy riches to all that will buy into the Devil’s game. However, as Jesus cautioned Satan is not divided against himself, he is only a divider between those that believe they can win playing his game and those that refuse to play his game. But Devil or not, it is apparent the game is rigged.