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August 29, 2010
August 22, 2010 "Galileo (Galileo) Galileo (Galileo) Galileo Figaro"
Almost four centuries later, in 1992, Pope John Paul II stated that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension”. Hopefully, it won’t take another four hundred years for the Western world and Mr. Mason to realize that Islam is NOT a “religion of violence”, that the Quran does NOT teach that “Christianity is the Big Satan and Judaism is the Small Satan” and that Muhammad is NOT “the real Satan.” As Galileo discovered the hard way, any size “Satan” dwells only in the minds of the bedeviled.
August 12, 2010 “MR. BLUTARSKY? -- ZERO POINT ZERO!” Think -- “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” Leadership means you do what I say! Dean Vernon Wormer ran the meeting. Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, is a California ballot proposition which is on the upcoming November 2, 2010 California statewide ballot as an initiated state statute. Proposition 19, if approved by voters, will legalize various marijuana-related activities, allow local governments to regulate these activities, permit local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorize various criminal and civil penalties. Medical marijuana is already legal in California, due to the enactment of Proposition 215 in 1996. That was 14 full years ago. Word seems to be just reaching us here in the hills. Before continuing, I confess that this column is passionately subjective in nature. Please know that I personally participated in public protest at a meeting covered elsewhere in this edition, and understand that I consider the behavior of Madera County’s Planning Commission Chairman at this gathering to be that of a common school yard bully. By way of brief background, allow me to share a letter which I wrote last September to the Madera County Board of Supervisors: September 25, 2009 Madera County Board of Supervisors Gentlemen: As a resident of Madera County, I request reconsideration be given to the ban on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries you enacted by unanimous vote September 22, 2009. I’ve been smoking marijuana for more than fifty years, though not continuously. Sometimes I sleep. I am the father of four and grandfather of eleven, having been happily married to the same woman for 45 years. I enjoyed high (no pun intended) (well, maybe) executive positions for decades in my chosen profession. All eight of my daughters and sons-in-law are successful entrepreneurs, exceptional parents and staunch Republicans, deeply involved in their churches and communities. Sheriff Anderson’s comments on medicinal marijuana seem embarrassingly provincial. For example, his assertion that “cities with marijuana dispensaries saw an increase in crime” begs for independent verification. The county counsel’s finding that “marijuana dispensaries would negatively impact the health, safety, and welfare of the community" is simply silly. Setting aside recreational use, the proven medicinal benefits of marijuana are now far past mere anecdotal testimony. One might as well condemn aspirin as a work of the devil. I urge recision of your September 22nd decision. With best wishes, Peter Cavanaugh The Supervisors had been informed in a letter from area ministers that certain parties were going to set up “Marijuana Dispensers” in Oakhurst Here’s my own headline sent to Star Editor Brian Wilkinson the morning after: "Planners Revisit Pot Shop Ruling - - No Vote Taken - - Sheriff Called." I went on to suggest that it might be instructive to contact Steven and Rita Smith, who were petitioning for a temporary use permit, or County Supervisors and/or Planning Commission Chairman Larry Wright for appropriate comments. I had entered the Coarsegold Community Center as a total stranger, not knowing a single soul in a room soon to reach standing room only status. More than a dozen attendees offered sworn testimony supporting the medical collective with NO OPPOSITION expressed by ANYONE in the wall-to-wall crowd, even when repeatedly prompted to do so. The “hearing”, by then hopping hopelessly like the Kangaroo Court it was, ended tumultuously when Wright rose from his seat on the dais and approached Mrs. Smith in a menacing manner, ordering her to immediately leave the building. When members of the audience responded to Wright’s conduct with significant negativity, Wright demanded the entire room be cleared and threatened to call the Sheriff, moments later doing so as the crowd refused to move. Within minutes, a CHP unit and three Madera County Sheriff’s cruisers pulled up, complete with a canine unit to sniff out the snafu. But the doggie had nothing to do, nor did any of the summoned officers, other than ponder why on earth someone had panicked. It was quiet as a mouse on cotton. Mrs. Smith, a devout Christian whose deep faith plays an open and prominent role in her activities, remains shocked and shaken. She wants to move cannabis from the Devil’s darkness into the light of the Lord that it be cleansed and controlled. Those are my words, not Mrs. Smith’s. She would say it much better. I trust the Madera County Board of Supervisors will review the sad episode herein recounted and realize issues yet unresolved need to be fully and fairly addressed in open forum. It will also be beneficial for them to inform the Planning Commission that they need to listen to their boss -- the people -- rather than be listened to. Chairman Wright? As far as I’m concerned -- he’s on Quadruple-Secret Double Probation.
In a major summer highlight, The Oakhurst Democratic Club was honored to present a personal appearance by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen at a sold-out August 7th Breakfast Reception. Secretary Bowen is the third highest ranking executive in California State government.
Secretary of State Bowen visits Oakhurst
Thursday, August 12, 2010,
Secretary of State Debra Bowen personally greeted each of the 85 guests who attended a breakfast in her honor Saturday at the Oakhurst Community Center.
August/September 2010 “The Right Side of History” Summer 2010 is sizzling to a close as we approach some stark, cold realities. A pending November election period awaits us with everything on the line and little to brag about except not being Republicans. Sadly, that should more than be enough. In the words of Buffalo Springfield, “I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down!” The Minority Leader in the House of Representatives sports an artificial tan as phony as his continual claims to speak for “The American People” at every turn. The Minority Leader in the Senate recites talking points of the privileged like the good party parrot he is, feathers righteously ruffling at the slightest hint of genuine social concern on the part of anyone -- anywhere. Our “Democratic Majority” in the House and Senate is highly suspect at best -- purely fictional at worst. Recent headlines screaming: “ Next Big Battle in Washington: Bush’s Tax Cuts” (New York Times 7/24/10) remind us that even the most obvious immediate remedies to historic budget deficits remain hostage to the relentless push and pull of powerful wealth. “Victories” in Health Insurance and Financial Reform legislation have been, by any fair measure, severely limited. Attempts at formulating initial important steps addressing climate control have now been abandoned for the current session. The unauthorized release of secret military documents dramatically unveils the depth of deceit ever more evident in our naive occupation of Afghanistan, an ongoing tragedy for all participants. According to National Talk Show Host Thom Hartmann, Chief Justice John Roberts' Supreme Court is "the most conservative one in living memory." During this time, the Roberts court "issued conservative decisions 58 percent of the time" and, in the last year, “that rate increased to 65 percent, the highest since 1953.” As Jeffrey Toobin wrote last year in an article for The New Yorker, "In every major case since he became the nation's seventeenth Chief Justice, Roberts has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff. President Obama is vilified by the right for doing what he hasn’t done and pilloried by the left for not doing what he should have done. Driving down the middle of any given road guarantees being repeatedly struck by both sides of traffic. By now it must be crystal clear to our President that conciliation has been rejected, compromise spurned and capitulation demanded. It’s always jump ball with a knee in the -- never mind. And yet. It seems to me we have no choice but to rededicate ourselves to each and every principle and purpose which -- so far -- have proceeded not much further than putting Barack Obama in the White House. A mighty and historic step, but only the first of many if we are to truly succeed. Change comes slowly, but when it arrives, we must be on the right side of history -- not to be found on the right side of the aisle. In a tanning booth or gilded cage.
July 29, 2010 "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: 101 -- Too Big For Our Britches?" The word "Breeches" goes back to the Twelfth Century in Old English, commencing earlier as "Brokiz" in the Germanic language, derived from the Nordic "Brok" and Latin "Bracca". All of these words refer to -- pants -- not to be confused with sounds made by Mel Gibson in full tilt boogie rage. B-r-i-t-c-h-e-s is how "Breeches" is pronounced and has become the common spelling in these contemporary times. An idiom, again something not to be confused with Mr. Gibson, is an expression which means something different from what the words literally imply. In this case, being too big for one's britches suggests arrogance, conceit and an exaggerated sense of self-importance As any elementary grade school student learns quite early on (I hope), one of the most powerful and impactive speeches in human history, certainly in our American experience, was President Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address", delivered on Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of The Civil War. In his remarks, Mister Lincoln redefined "The War Between The States" as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as a "new birth of freedom" to guarantee survival of America's representative democracy as a government of the people. So when Glenn, Sean, Mark, Jerry, Lars, Michael, Billy, Rush and hordes of similarly inclined, intellectually constipated, Wall Street vested, local imitators across the land pitch and moan about "big government", aren't they simultaneously assigning ALL of us --"We the People" -- to secondary status? Have we become too BIG for our britches? Government = People. Government equals The People. WE are supposed to BE the GOVERNMENT. Our Founders never meant government to be a separate, third party entity. When government's not working, we need to change ourselves, not elect a government fundamentally dedicated to its own destruction. In the immortal utterance of another famous American (Homer Simpson) -- "D'oh!" But don't say that out loud! "D'oh" is a sound trademark of 20th Century Fox. Rupert Murdock feels that's his private property. Not mine. Not yours. Honest to Abe! Go ahead - Google! I just picked up a copy of the "Central Valley Tea Party Times" at the Oakhurst Branch Library. At the very top of the front page are listed "Core Values" -- the first one being "Constitutionally Limited Government", followed by "Free Markets" and "Fiscal Responsibility." In my view, as with everything in life, it's all in how you look at it -- all in how you study it. I treasure our Constitution, but am bitterly opposed to limiting the our power -- the power of "We the People." A "Free Market" guarded by other watchdogs of wealth killed two million Irish during the "Great Famine" of the 19th Century, a personal family issue verified by documents on file at the Library of Ireland in Dublin. "Fiscal Responsibility" was masterfully addressed by my colleague, Alan Cheah, in his most recent column. Basically, Alan simply suggests looking at an irrefutable record. It's all there. Having enjoyed a lovely gathering at the July 4th "Family Freedom Fest" at Oakhurst Park, all concerned are due appropriate congratulations and recognition for successful organizational efforts and, mainly, for deeply caring about their country. It seemed more like a proper church picnic than a political rally on a completely gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Hundreds were on the scene -- well dressed -- down home upscale -- most wisely positioning themselves in shaded areas under a hot summer sun. Staying out of the heat. Being cool. It will be even cooler when we can all leap past tired slogans, empty talking points and wild rhetoric - so that "government of the people - by the people and for the people --shall not perish from the earth." We can do it. The people are a perfect fit.
July 16, 2010 I note with befuddled amusement Sheriff Margaret Mims' curious allegations in The Bee July 13 that marijuana "dispensaries are a magnet for crime." She adds, "public safety risks outweigh any medical benefits."
Wake up, Maggie! July 1, 2010 The New Scarlet Letter Branded with an “L”? You’re on a Highway to Hell! That “L-word” now ranks with the worst of epithets, having been mutated and mutilated in certain circles to subterranean levels of disrespect. Local TV viewers can easily testify that, during the recent Primary Election period, our Central Valley News agonizingly devolved into “The Meg and Steve Show” as Meg Whitman and Steve Poisner exchanged nasty diatribes debating who is more “Liberal”. We received a mind numbing sneak preview of what awaits us this autumn as manipulative money dominated the airwaves -- in our faces -- keeping us in our places. In a sharp doctrinal shift overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court ruled in January that the government may not ban political spending by corporations or unions in candidate elections. Don’t be deceived by any implied parity between the two. Unions have millions. Corporations have billions. No tie. I am a “Chuck Berry Liberal”. Sometimes I will and again sometimes I won’t. Sometimes I do and against some times I don’t. I can change my mind faster than Larry King switches wives. Or girlfriends. Or wives of girlfriends. Contrary to the naive notion that there is one specific “Liberal” agenda to which all swear allegiance, free thinkers are all over the place in our bunch. A room filled with “Liberals” is pretty much a cluster of unherded cats. Contrast this to the lock step, nonjudgmental, unwavering blind obedience to party politics evident elsewhere. Bought and paid for. From a practical perspective, this has been working like a charm in our current Congress with a minority party exerting influence far beyond their number in blocking any form of regulatory legislation not favoring private profit over public good. My only satisfaction is witnessing John Boehner and Mitch McConnell as chief spokespersons basically elevated by seniority, both men sharing the charisma of sea slugs, save the fact that sea slugs can be quietly colorful. Altruistic exceptions aside, private profit is a primary and essential human motivator Ask the Chinese. It’s our current balance of things here at home that’s concerning. In our nation, the top ONE percent own as much as the bottom NINETY-FIVE percent combined. That’s not a typo. And control goes with it. The Tea Party has it right. We need to return our government to the people. I only suggest more reflection is desirable as to just who “the people” are. It sure can’t just be ONE percent of us. “Liberal” is derived from the Latin “Libertas”, meaning “FREEDOM!” the exact word Mel Gibson defiantly screamed aloud at the end of “Brave Heart.” Yes! That wild William Wallace was a Liberal --as are most honored heroes of History. In Ancient Rome, “Libertas” distinguished the free from the enslaved. This also seems true in Modern Oakhurst. Lest we be hung, drawn and quartered by some new King. Happy Freedom Day!
June/July 2010 “All in the Family” If there was a shred of doubt in anyone’s mind that sinister forces are at work in the world, one only needs to review the appalling “Remembering the Brave” campaign launched in support of State Senator Jeff Denham with an extensive paid schedule dominating our mountain airwaves on every major Fresno TV station in days leading up to the June 8th Primary. In late March, Denham probably violated federal election law when he traveled on a corporate aircraft owned by a prominent west-side farming company from Fresno to the Bay Area with Karl Rove, Presidential Advisor to George W. Bush. Rove, long overdue for serious time in the slammer, had just addressed a major Republican rally at the Fresno Convention Center. Karl should have advised Jeff about the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act George signed in September of 2007 making it illegal for House candidates to fly on corporate jets. But this is nickel and dime stuff. How about over $150,000 in funds mysteriously launched in support of a “Public Service Campaign” as we witness Jeff Denham climbing to long sought Congressional heights over the bodies of American war dead? The following is an example of our correspondence with KGPE, KFSN, KSEE, KMPH and KFRE which summarizes the issue: Linda Danna Dear Ms. Danna: By way of brief self introduction, my name is Peter Cavanaugh. I am Media Manager for Les Marsden, running for Congress in the 19th District on the Democratic ticket. Noting that today's Fresno Bee (5/17/10) references a certain broadcast announcement promoting a benefit concert for “Remembering the Brave, Inc.” featuring Jeff Denham, also a candidate in the 19th District Congressional Primary, and having been informed that KGPE-TV has been running a significant schedule for said announcement, please consider this a formal request that Mr. Marsden be provided with similar air time and frequency prior to the June 8th Primary to express his thoughts and observations in this important race. My understanding of still extant FCC Equal Time rules would indicate this request is appropriate, even though the announcements are alleged to be "paid for by a nonprofit organization,” your broadcast of same constitutes free airtime used by a candidate for Federal Office, ignoring the fact Should my understanding of FCC policy in this area seem incorrect, please provide me with applicable citations. Otherwise, Mr. Marsden looks forward to reaching your important audience with parity against opposing Federal candidates. Peter Cavanaugh Veterans’ groups are justifiably in an uproar. And we once again see our darkest suspicions blatantly verified by the actions of a powerful few against the many with total disregard for true honor, proper respect and common decency. Family values at their finest. April 22, 2010
The Little Annie Fanny of America's Recidivist Right Although my four Republican daughters roll their eyes like Brunswick Power Grooves every time I refer to Sarah Palin as "The Little Annie Fanny of America's Recidivist Right," I believe Palin should be free to speak at Stanislaus College for as much money as she can possibly grab from those similarly free to pay. Say what you will about the lady, she sure can draw a crowd. For successful economic enterprise, one gives people what they want. In selling advertising for "Rock 'n' Roll Radio" several centuries ago, when most business folks regarded the new music form as little more than thundering air hammers at painful, screeching pound, this observation often worked like a charm: "Hey! Our listeners love rock 'n' roll. You use worms to catch fish, but never eat 'em yourself, right? Wanna catch the largest radio audience around?" The CSU Stanislaus Foundation, a private, separate entity from the publicly supported school, is looking for a profitable 50th anniversary celebration. According to foundation president Matt Swanson, "The event is being 100% funded by fresh, private money." Although College President Hamid Shirvani is also chairman of the foundation board, Shirvani seems to be offering nothing on the controversial issue other than Swanson's busy phone number. But it's quite true that no taxpayer money is going to Sarah for making heavy hay while her midnight sun shines -- ringing that recidivist register -- ca-ching! Our tax money is going for schools. For defense. For police. For firefighters. For wealth held in common, properly defined as commonwealth, a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes meant the same thing as "republic." The United States of America is a democratic republic. And I concur with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.: "Taxes are the price of civilization." But what sort of civilians are we? Since the American Revolution, we've had taxation with representation, but, from time to time, shifting, competing majorities have made a few poor choices. When Ronald Reagan made his successful bid for re-election in the fall of 1984, Perrysburg, Ohio, just south of Toledo, was the final destination on a "whistle-stop" train tour. It had been arranged to capture a nostalgic sense of traditional American political campaign history. Perrysburg is where I lived while selling that noisy rock 'n' roll. There were Secret Service agents swarming all over our little town with machine-gun toting sharpshooters on every roof. The tall Irishman spoke only four blocks from my house and not 50 feet away from the Shamrock Lounge, my home away from home. His last words were that Democrats always thought it was April 15, but Republicans wanted every new day to be the Fourth of July. Right on cue, fireworks exploded in the distance and a band struck-up "Stars and Stripes Forever" as Reagan's train pulled away from the station. It was slick as could be. Like a shining city upon a hill. Or Fox News. Or Sarah Palin at CSU Stanislaus.
THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT “Let freedom ring. Let the white doves sing. Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning. Let the weak be strong. Let the right be wrong. Roll the stone away. Let the guilty pay. It’s Independence Day.” “Independence Day” Each weekday afternoon across our nation, that impossibly smug, outrageously pompous, self-labeled Great American, Sean Hannity, begins his program with the above chorus from Martina McBride’s “Independence Day”. It is presented by implication as a powerful personal anthem, evoking thrilling images of a locked and loaded, combat geared, radio warrior about to wreak savage revenge against enemies far and wide, especially those with certain Middle East connections, all liberals, most progressives, and some folks who just plain look funny. One might even envision a jaunty, ascot-attired, aviator-scarfed Sean climbing into his Sopwith Camel F.1 biplane, setting off to strafe the Kaiser at sunset over war torn Berlin. Country music fans, however, know “Independence Day” is actually about a horribly abused housewife who burns her alcoholic husband alive and their whole house with him on a Fourth of July. Talk about fireworks! A daughter, ostensibly the song’s composer, is consequently sent to live in in the uncertain safety of foster care. But Sean only plays Martina’s chorus. Why ruin an otherwise stirring image with mere facts? Truth can be bothersome. Especially when Mr. Hannity received a major broadcasting award in late March from Talkers Magazine for “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” while being simultaneously accused of being an utter fraud for the very same activity cited in his official commendation. Quoting Conservative commentator Debbie Schlussel, Sean Hannity’s sponsorship of, involvement with and allegiance to a group called “Freedom Alliance” and their “Freedom Concerts” is “all a huge scam.” Writes Ms. Schlussel, “They’ve told you they are raising money to pay for the college tuition of the children of fallen soldiers and to pay for severely wounded war vets. In two recent years, less than 7% and 4%, respectively of the money raised by Freedom Alliance On one line item from her impressively detailed documentation, Ms. Schlussel observes that $500,000 in expenses were spent to award just over $800,000 in scholarships. Wait! A Conservative investigator accusing a Conservative talk show host of major fraud? That’s almost as crazy as a Republican candidate for Governor, Steve Poizner, attacking California liberals for “years of doing too much for too many.” Poizner is running far behind Meg Whitman in voter polling and so resorts to thinly disguised racist rhetoric in a desperate attempt to win base support, evidently forgetting the words of another prominent Conservative, Winston Churchill, who once famously observed, “Never was so much owed by so many to so few. Wow! If Poizner’s correct, Sir Winston could have been have been talking about us Mountain Democrats! Yes, Martina, the “right is wrong.” Sean Hannity proves that every day on Fresno’s good old KMJ.
Thursday, March 18, 2010 Although I was barely 2, and could hardly walk, my father would stand me up on the bar to entertain his cronies with a fairly impressive ensemble of various Irish ballads, dirges and chants, which I mastered even as I learned to speak. They would give me pennies and shot glasses of beer for my trouble. To this day, it seems like more than a fair exchange as I recall the laughter and the love. And here it is the 77th day of this very year with another 364 days until St. Paddy's Day 2011. My head is spinning with numbers. About 15 million Americans are unemployed. Another 9 million are officially labeled "involuntary part-time workers" by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which it explains in its March release, "these individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job." Toss on the heap another 2.5 million who are, in government-speak, "marginally detached," half of whom have become "discouraged workers." With six applicants for every job, folks in this category have just about given up. These figures are translated into an overall "Unemployment Rate" of 9.7%. Against this national percentage, compare Madera County at 16.6%, Fresno County at 18.2% and Merced County at a heartbreaking 21.7%. Welcome to the new "now." About 45 million of us remain without any form of health insurance, a statistic swelling by 10,000 a day. Current pending legislation intended to address this issue insures only the insurers. Private companies are guaranteed billions in mandatory premiums from the public, but no public options are presented to provide proven, cost-cutting competition. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by outrageously profitable corporations in cleverly conceived, brilliantly executed strategies, which have been clearly successful in convincing many of us to emotionally vote against our own interests time after time. But once in a while some very nice things still happen. Did you know Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler has endorsed a "socialistic" project? Last week's Sierra Star quotes Wheeler as saying, "I think it's a big hit for the community," and I quite agree. Wheeler was referring to a Department of Veterans' Affairs Outpatient Clinic being built in Oakhurst for our nearly 3,000 Mountain Area veterans. The 8,500-square-foot clinic off Highway 49 will house 18 treatment rooms offering primary care, mental health care, women's health services, eye care and a pharmacy, all paid for and run by the government. God Bless our veterans. The American military death toll in Afghanistan has reached 1,000 with four times that number killed in Iraq. Earlier this month, General Stanley McCrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was given extended control over all military activities and operations in the region. McCrystal's latest analysis of the situation indicates he will require more troops than originally anticipated to finish the job and win. Or at least, end the mission some way that doesn't seem too terribly whacked, then retire from the military to become set for life with appropriate compensatory rewards for self-service properly rendered. Barack Obama has 34 months left in his first term as president, but minimal time remaining to regain the enormously enthusiastic momentum across party lines initially generated by his election to office. He has stood, but not delivered. He has spoken, but done little. He has promised, but not provided. Obama is despised by the right and is being abandoned by the left. And with a fine fighting name like O'Bama, Mr. President, this Irishman's still in your corner, but hoping for no future rounds like the first. Make your stand. Lead this land. Thursday, February 25, 2010 Here’s the deal: Paid speech isn’t “Free Speech” by core definition. Under various pieces of self-serving legislation enacted through the years by lawmakers far and wide, “Political Advertising” has been enshrined with delightfully friendly laws, custom made for the special folks who write them. Those running for Federal Office, in particular, enjoy certain unique privileges, including “lowest unit cost” guarantees, absolute freedom from any form of editing and/or content control and increased availability of airtime which must be provided significantly beyond normal commercial tolerances during campaigns. While the guiding spirit behind these statutes has been to theoretically insure the electorate is made sufficiently aware of community issues and needs to be able to intelligently vote with adequate, informed aforethought, the cumulative effect of such noble attempts by the empowered to maintain position and status has been quite to the contrary. An intelligent discussion of public affairs? Come on. We’ve seen it all---an endless parade of poisonous partisanship from all sides. Name calling. Character assassination. Blatant untruths. Vulgar vituperation. Ugly innuendo. Sadly, negative campaigning works great. It’s human nature. Fundamental decency and common courtesy are seasonally sacrificed by practiced professionals upon the cold, bloodless altar of blatant political expediency. Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt you? Unless you’re running for office. We warn our kids of sex and drugs, but willfully expose them to vile personal attacks of the lowest order at the highest levels of debate as a sanctioned form of civilized human discourse. And, let’s face it. Those ads are annoying at best and infuriating at worst. At the height of last year’s Presidential Campaign, more than one-third of all prime broadcast time could be characterized as “political” in nature, the bulk of which ranged in content from nasty to nefarious. No wonder “government” is now commonly viewed with dark suspicion. We are cynically conditioned on an annual basis to consider leadership little more than leprosy. The controversial January 21st Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission has opened the door to unlimited corporate and union spending. Recent national polling now indicates eight in ten respondents say they oppose Something with which most of us can mainly agree! At last! But why not go all the way? Let’s ban all paid political advertising from radio, television, satellite and cable. There would still be plenty of opportunities for propaganda peddling through newspapers, billboards, magazines and, of course, the mighty Internet, but none of these offers the same potentially intrusive, virtually unavoidable presence of traditional, licensed, electronic media. It will make for more pleasant programming and a far nicer world in our Valley.
THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT The Finest Elections Money Can Buy The 5 to 4 decision overruled two important First Amendment The New York Times offers us this headline: "Lobbies' New President Obama calls it “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street But our still new President needs to put a bit of bite into his barks. It’s no surprise to any of us that things haven’t completely turned Medicare for all. OUT of Iraq. OUT of Afghanistan. IN with And the Supreme Court’s Decision in “Citizens United v. Federal “The only proper response to this distortion of our political system Dionne continues: “This court ruling should also challenge the fake populism we have Yet, paraphrasing Franklin Delano Roosevelt, we have nothing to Make no mistake. This is not a rehearsal. THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT December 2009 - January 2010 “Happy Word from the 23rd!” The 23rd New York Congressional District is as carved up as a Thanksgiving Turkey by Friday morning, not unlike our own California 19th. It includes all or parts of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties, most of the Adirondack Mountains and the Thousand Islands region, bordered by Canada to the north. As of a recent special election, the 23rd is now represented by Bill Owens of Plattsburgh, the first Democrat to serve the area since sometime in the 1850’s - before The Civil War. My namesake and Great-Grandfather, Peter Cavanaugh, having fled to America from unrestrained free market economics during Ireland’s Famine Years, has been buried under a fine Celtic Cross in New York’s 23rd since 1892. I’m sure he’s resting more comfortably these days, having waited 117 years for proper representation. The special election to please Peter gained national attention when several national Republican leaders endorsed Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman over Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava. A few days before the election Scozzafava dropped out and endorsed Mr. Owens, who went on to win the seat with a 48.7% plurality. Nice work, Sarah. I’m hoping it won’t take 117 years for Les Marsden to replace George Radanovich. The November 17th issue of the Fresno Bee featured a Letter to the Editor submitted by Nicholas Massei, Jr., suggesting Radanovich be congratulated for “having the courage to vote against” the House-passed health care reform bill. Junior went on to loyally recite standard GOP “talking points,” escalating in wild absurdity with data from The Lewin Group, a consulting firm based in Falls Church, Virginia. He neglected to mention that the Lewin organization is wholly owned by the health insurance giant, UnitedHealth Group, or that Mr. Massei, himself, is an Authorized Independent Agent for Blue Cross of California. Radanovich’s vote against health care reform is as cowardly and beholding to special interests as his November 5th “No” vote on H.R. 3548, “The Workers, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009.”, which passed 403 to 12, including overwhelming support from 156 Republican members. An immediate priority of the measure was an extension of In Radanovich’s 19th Congressional district, latest figures indicate Mariposa County registering 9.9% unemployment, Madera 13.8%, Tuolumne 13.5%, Fresno 15.8% and Stanislaus 16.6%. More “compassionate conservatism” from Mr. Radanovich? How ‘bout Work Farms, Orphan Labor and Debtors’ Prisons? To hold the torch of freedom high. And burn out the poor. Peter Cavanaugh Letter to the Editor for November 12, 2009 Dear Editor, No, Virginia, there is no "Doc Oslo." This is a simplistic creation of Bill Atwood's bombastic imagination, expressed in his grandiloquent ravings about President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize in his letter to the editor in the Oct. 29 Sierra Star. Mr. Atwood regularly contributes such "thoughts" to the Sierra Star and, along with other imaginary friends, "Doc Oslo" is as phony as the rest of Bill's platitudinous blather. We see our young President presented as a "teleprompter" reading, "world order guy" whose "indecision" on Afghanistan "is putting our troops into a more dangerous situation." More dangerous than what, Mr. Atwood? Being there in the first place? After savaging the administration's nascent economic policies, Nancy Pelosi's independently verified charges against the CIA and CNN for not being FOX, Atwood fires a grand finale fusillade against health reform. Stating "more than 80% of Americans are happy with their current health care plan and the socialists want to mess up the best health care delivery system in the world to help just a few," Atwood plunges from fantasy to fiction with astoundingly ingenuous ease. And he's waiting for the White House to call? More likely some nice young men in their clean white coats. And they're coming to take him away. Peter Cavanaugh, Oakhurst As a resident of Madera County, I am requesting that reconsideration be given to the ban on medical marijuana dispensaries the Board of Supervisors enacted by unanimous vote Sept. 22. I’ve been smoking marijuana for more than 50 years, though not continuously. Sometimes I sleep. I am the father of four and grandfather of eleven, having been happily married to the same woman for 45 years. I enjoyed high (no pun intended … well, maybe) executive positions for decades in my chosen profession. All eight of my daughters and sons-in-law are successful entrepreneurs, exceptional parents and staunch Republicans, deeply involved in their churches and communities. Sheriff Anderson’s comments on medicinal marijuana seem embarrassingly provincial. For example, his assertion that “cities with marijuana dispensaries saw an increase in crime” begs for independent verification. The county counsel’s finding that “marijuana dispensaries would negatively impact the health, safety, and welfare of the community” is simply silly. For more than 20 years, Dutch citizens over age 18 have been permitted to buy and use cannabis in government-regulated coffee shops. Even this non-medicinal policy has not resulted in escalating consumption. Rates of marijuana use in the Netherlands are far lower than those in the United States and rank average when compared to other European countries. Setting aside recreational use, the proven medicinal benefits of marijuana are now far past mere anecdotal testimony. One might as well condemn aspirin as a work of the devil. Peter Cavanaugh, THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT OICTOBER-NOVEMBER 2009 “GREAT! Where’s Oakdale?”
Eileen Cavanaugh, Michael Moore, Peter Cavanaugh Advance Screening "Capitalism: A Love Story" Clay Theater, San Francisco September 17, 2009 "Halfway to Saint Patrick's Day!"
THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2009 "Failed Expectations"
WKUF is a listener-supported, low-power facility serving the
THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT “The Shunning” When our new First Lady, Michelle Obama, made her initial and only university commencement address this spring at the University of California at Merced on the 15th of May, five of six San Joaquin Valley congressmen skipped the event. All had been invited, but only Pleasanton Democrat Jerry McNerney, whose East Bay-centered 11th District district includes a portion of the northern San Joaquin Valley, had the grace and good manners to attend. According to a spokesperson, our own George Radanovich from the 19th District didn’t “make any special effort to avoid it”, easing concerns among constituents that George ever be subjected to any form of heavy lifting. Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy said he had an art competition to attend, paintings taking precedence over professional protocol. Visalia Republican Devin Nunes announced he didn’t go because “he is unhappy with President Barack Obama and the majority Democrats in Congress”, upon whom he blames everything, including the Sack of Rome and The French Revolution. But two Democrats were also elsewhere. Jim Costa of Fresno had “other things to attend.” And Merced Congressman Dennis Cardoza declined an invitation to the exercise for “personal and professional reasons”, although UC Merced is in his district and he received his invitation months in advance. In the words of Buffalo Springfield (1967) , “There’s something happening here. What it is, ain’t exactly clear.” While the lack of Republican reps might be cynically scored as characteristically boorish behavior, I find myself concerned in no small measure over Costa’s/Cardoza’s perplexing provincial petulance, for only such might account for their inexcusable absence. With 20.4% Unemployment (2nd highest in the nation) and 6,000 How ‘bout displaying a little unity around here? Peter Cavanaugh
APRIL – MAY 2009 Fairness Is What Fairness Needs
I hope. THE MOUNTAIN DECEMBER 2008 – JANUARY 2009
For a Misty Mountain Hop.
Published February 12, 2009 The Flint Journal
By way of brief introduction, my name is Peter Cavanaugh. I am a former DJ on WTAC. Witnessing the horrid professional executions of Les Root, Jeff Wade, Bill Bailey, Rusty Thomas, Laurie Richter, Doug Fisher, Brian Beddow, and dozens of other loyal and faithful area broadcast employees in recent days and, with local management “unavailable for comment," might I propose a few "new rules" about media ownership? In the past dozen years, we've seen facility value thrive on the promise of "consolidation," then brutally collapse under the weight of egregious greed. Major radio stocks have become virtually worthless. As Cumulus, Citadel, Regent and similar corporate entities default on borrowing covenants in 2009, taxpayer-owned (or owed) banks should seize the stations and/or groups which they funded and transfer the facilities in Federal Communications Commission-sanctioned public auctions to local interests. In such transactions, former employees would receive special consideration, including the opportunity to be considered for small-business loans to not only gain control but participate in common, community-oriented ownership. Details to be determined. Nothing to it but to do it. Limited AM and FM frequencies are owned by the people. Flint! Take back your stations! Peter C. Cavanaugh
Published February 12, 2009
In his January 29th Sierra Star Column, "House hunting for inmates", Dr. Bill Atwood once again displays the intellectual depth of a frozen bird bath. Bill, Guantanamo is not an "Air Base." It's a Naval facility. President Obama is not about to "close" it, he's going to shutter a torture camp housed at that location since 2002. The overwhelming majority of "terrorists" detained there were not captured by U.S. forces or agents, but were turned in as "enemy combatants" by their own people for massive cash bounties. Camp Delta, Camp Iguana and Camp X-Ray have become global symbols of criminal corruption at the highest levels of government. Their abandonment is long overdue, their captives, charged or freed. Their shameful memory -- forever scarring our collective history. Peter Cavanaugh,
My last words? “Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse.”
Peter C. in the News Los Angeles Times Festival of Books -- UCLA -- April 28, 2007 Release of 35th Anniversary Edition -- "Guitar Army" --John Sinclair/Michael Simmons "Beyond Baroque" -- Venice, California Denny Smithson--"Cover to Cover" with Peter C. on KPFA-FM--San Francisco A highly-respected Bay Area Broadcast Voice for over 40 years, Denny began at KPFA in 1967, working in public affairs and news programming. He moved on to become the Monday morning host for about 12 years, followed by a year on Brainstorm. Since then he has found his niche doing author interviews on Cover to Cover. Yosemite National Park July 2007 Photo By Eileen Cavanaugh Wall to Wall--Question Mark San Francisco Benefit
Annie's Host Chris Owen, Peter Cavanaugh and Owner Annie Whiteside-- Herself! Peter C. and Michael Simmons -- King of All Writers Artillery Magazine, Rolling Stone, High Times, Penthouse, LA Times, Focus on the Family Rae's Lounge -- Los Angeles
January 17, 2007 Peter C,
January 17, 2007 Peter C, Flint, Michigan -- 2006 A Record Crowd of 15,000 at the 30th Anniversary Bobby Crim Festival of Races
Peter C. & WHNN's Johnny Burke Introduce Robert Gillespie and The Legendary Mitch Ryder Abraham Lincoln, Jerry Reed, Jim Kenyon, Joe Tierno, Janice Kenyon, Peter C. and Dan O'Neil
One of very few surviving objects known to have been the personal property of an Irish king, the Kavanagh Charter Horn is a ceremonial drinking horn of elephant ivory dating from the early 12th century, with brass mountings added in the 15th century. Owned by the MacMorrough Kavanagh Kings of Leinster for centuries, it remained in the possession of the Chiefs of the Borris line until its later donation to the National Museum of Ireland. This website was originally created and developed by daughter, Susan, out in Oakhurst, California. You may visit Susan and her husband, Rich Seiling, at www.westcoastimaging.com Michael Moore, on the far RIGHT side (haha) of our 1980 WWCK staff photo (below) B. C. Coleman (page 231) is living a life of splendid sanctuary in Buzzonia, Michigan, with turkeys and deer at sunset and a vintage '41 Willys in the barn. Buzzonia was chosen by the Fraternal Union of Casual Knights as venue for Mr. Goodbar's 70th Birthday Party in late October '06. As Aging Children know, "70" is the new "17." Bob Dell (page 35) runs the top-rated Morning Show in New Orleans on WWL, although eventually retiring to Oneida Lake in Upstate New York. Bob Seger (page 195) was back on the road with Coast-to-Coast sell-outs after 11 years of absence. Rock 'n Roll never forgets!" Alice Cooper (page 130) is still 18. MC5 (page 111) have their own excellent movie coming out on DVD. Iggy Stooge (page 156) is available now on DVD with one of the best live performances I ever witnessed, magnificently unleashed before a sold-out crowd at DTE Music Theater in August of 2003. Iggy opens Michael Moore's film, "Capitalism: A Love Story" with a wild version of "Louie-Louie", complete with new, appropriate lyrics. My friend, Finbarr Slattery, over in Killarney, Holy Ireland, land of mystical enchantment, honored me a while ago by including a brief sinful segment from "Local DJ" in his award winning newspaper column. George Clinton (page 202) has pleaded "no contest" to two misdemeanor drug paraphernalia charges in Tallahassee, Florida. He was sentenced to 200 hours of community service. George is 69, my elder by a year. John Sinclair (page 113) lives mostly in Amsterdam and is the focus of a new film, "20 to Life: The Life and Times of John Sinclair." John reports, "Man, I remember the dances at Sherwood Forest with the fondest possible feeling. Glad you're holding up, my brother. I'm 67 now myself." John has completed a new American book tour in conjunction with release of the long-awaited 35th Anniversary Edition of "Guitar Army" featuring an introduction by Michael Simmons. Peter Townshend of the WHO (page 83) refused to give Michael Moore permission to use "Won't Get Fooled Again" at the very end of "Fahrenheit 9/11", even though the group was first played in America on WTAC and George Bush actually said those exact words in an uncommon moment of linguistic challenge. I'm pleased to find myself being quoted extensively in "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" by Michael Streissguth, an Associate Professor of English at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, from which I graduated in '63. I was also happy to record an audio version of "Local DJ" for Wayne State University and WDET-FM, Detroit's National Public Radio station. RECENT
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September 6, 2002 - Detroit Free Press "Bookworming: Your Esteemed Airwave Scribbler spent a large portion of this now-waning summer paging through "Local DJ: A Rock 'n Roll History" by longtime Flint record spinner and Rock Promoter Peter C. Cavanaugh. (349 pages, Xlibris Press, paperback $19.54, hardback $29.69, eBook $8 at www.xlibris.com). Chronicling an era and jobs skills that likely wil never been repeated, it's recommended reading for all radiophiles!" - John Smyntek/Radio TV Editor March 8, 2006 - Detroit Free Press DJ's book could be a film "Peter C. Cavanaugh, a big noise on the radio in Flint back in the rockin' late '60s and early '70s, wrote a book about his experiences called "Local DJ." PCC says he has signed film option rights to Kathleen Glynn and her new production company, Blue Lake Entertainment. Familiar ring to it? She is married to filmmaker Michael Moore and has produced all of his efforts to date." - John Smyntek/Radio TV Editor
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