Recent Comments
Re: “The divisive, delusional left”
Any commentator so willing to outright lie, obfuscate the truth, cherry pick select facts and then destroy their context, victim blame, engage in whataboutism and ad hominem attacks, refuse to accept any responsibility for he and his ideological ally's contributions to the cultural divide, deep seated societal problems and failures of his own brethren isn't worth dissecting and trying to refute with rational, fact based, evidence.
With demographic changes and increasing cultural and ethnic diversity coupled with strong secular impulses, the question isn't IF folks like the author become irrelevant and reduced to pathetic town criers and isolated curmudgeons, its a matter of WHEN. Thankfully, sooner than later. Even our own wonderful county has recently seen these inevitable shifts and its only a matter of time before those committed to preserving white, christo-nationalist hegemony get a taste of marginalization.
The FBI and various Justice dept. reports show a growing and increasingly violent white supremacist and militia based insurrectionist movement in the U.S. The FBI has released two major reports detailing heavy infiltration of local law enforcement agencies by these types.Hate crimes committed by these types as well as other domestic terrorist attacks outnumber those with any other political or ideological motivations 98-2%. Hate crimes against people of color, LGBQT, immigrants, etc. are soaring in the last four years.
Yet we're expected to believe that all is well, but we're going to hell in a handbasket because of Shaft movies, negative dinner table indoctrination and the poor morality of people of color themselves. And the dreaded "leftists" as if anyone left of Genghis Khan has posters of Daniel Ortega and Che Guevara on their walls. Of course, we can't forget that its been documented that our outgoing "president" has had a photo of Hitler on his office desk and well confirmed acts of racial animus in his history. But if Al says it ain't say, it must be true.
GTFOH! You simply can't make up dog whistles like that and get away with it when adults are in the room.
Re: “Freedom 467 miles away: How a quest for a roller coaster ended up a delicious memory”
Awesome! For all the local restaurants struggling through to eke out a living and survive this public health crisis who could use some positive ink, you devote an entire article to some FREEDUMBER taking her family to one of the mass spreader cities right about the time thousands of other clueless morons went there on their way to or from Sturgis, the biggest superspreader event on EARTH. I'm sure to be on the lookout for her and her brood as they defiantly inject themselves into the single biggest risk scenario according to the CDC. Eating out and going to bars are huge risk factors. Her cavalier attitude about precautions given the fact she has been caught on video at reopen events stating that one of her children is auto immune compromised is very telling. Taking a child with a suppressed immune system to the COVID19 soup that Las Vegas because you're bored is, is playing fast and loose with one's parental responsibilities.
Re: “The real story about Ellen Beraud's vets memorial vote”
It's incredibly troubling that in such a wonderful, high quality of life community like SLO County, such McCarthyesque tactics, intentionally negative and denigrating strategies are employed in a partisan fashion against any candidates of a liberal or progressive bent on a regular basis by the same culprits year after year. The vitriol, misinformation, insultingly negative and usually unfounded and misleading attacks are something that have no place in an area where most political positions are non-partisan. Before deciding to invest in a business in Atascadero, I read the local newspaper and the New Times for almost a year to get a feel for the kind of community I was preparing to sink my family's life savings into. I was and am still shocked and appalled to see the regularity of the inclusion of such hate filled, personal destruction based opinions coming from one writer and then followed by these ad hoc PACs that surface every election. Ironically, his spouse is a long time public official and as a person who pays close attention to local politics, I don't see anyone from the "left" or any other position on the political spectrum engaging in the level of vitriol against her that her husband has no hesitation engaging in as nearly a full-time job. Since moving here six years ago, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that MOST people here are friendly, fair-minded, forward thinking and motivated by what is best for us as a community, not the politics of personal destruction and attacks. We can and should be focused on the issues our area needs work on, not practicing a type of politics that demeans and diminishes the good reputation our area has worked at building.
Re: “Women's March SLO removes Central Coast Health Coalition from event”
I attended the March. This group was there, it mingled with the other marchers, it received no scorn, no shsming, no pressure to leave. They all marched the entire route. My spouse and I were right in front of them. I suspect the author of this article has conflated or exaggerated the situation.
I don't doubt that problems exist in some mass produced pharmaceutical vaccines. Overwhelmingly, caccines save lives and help protect the public from a multitude of communicable diseases and viruses.
A recent study of 650,000 Danish children has been completed and it's conclusions are now public.
Re: “Cognitive dissonance”
I attended the Women's March last weekend as I have the last three consecutive years and was there from start to finish and walked the entire route. As I have always done at public protests and as a social justice activist with 40 years of experience, I'm careful to walk throughout the entire gathering, paying close attention to the vibe and potential for outside disruption or agent provocateurs.
I don't know how to break it to the writers at the New Times who falsely reported this story, the author of this letter and anyone else who believes that the group of anti-vaccine women were banned, excluded or prevented from attending or marching, but it simply isn't true. I'm highly respectful of women and don't typically take photographs of individuals without consent, so I don't have photographic proof of my claims, but these women were there, were afforded street space among and side by side with the march at large and they walked the entire length right behind my spouse and I. I didn't see anyone accost, deny them of anything and they appeared to be quite comfortable in their space.
At one point I was tempted to try and converse with a few of the women to see if they had read about the release of a major contradictory finding from a vaccination study of 650,000 Danish children, but felt I'd be argued with and that the march wasn't the appropriate venue for that.
Tim Bauman
Atascadero, CA
Re: “”
Its too bad Gary doesn't know the difference between being "persecuted" and being "prosecuted". The distinction is quite large and with no less than 17 separate agencies and jurisdictions of a variety of local, state and federal empowerment currently investigating actual wrongdoing by Drumpf and his associates, all them can't be groundless partisan witch hunts. Let's not forget that the same week he was installed into the White House, he was forced to pay a $25 MILLION settlement to some of the victims of his fraudulent Trump University scam. If not for several politically biased state's attorneys refusing to join the case, the number of victims and settlement would have been exponentially higher. Most of his cabinet is under one investigation or another and his closest allies Flynn, Cohen, Manafort and Gates have been found guilty of various crimes. Dozens of others associated with the campaign have been indicted and the cliche "where there's smoke, there's fire" has never been more apt. The sheer hypocrisy of some of his transgressions like abusing a charitable foundation for personal enrichment, using insecure email servers, money laundering with known underworld figures, ETC. Are just a tip of the iceberg pointing to the moral vacancy of this illegitimate junta ringleader.
Re: “From over here”
I find it highly ironic that for all the grousing, lying, complaining, whining and moaning about California, most of the disgruntled people are leaving for cheap, right to work for less, polluted, less prosperous states with low productivity and greater dependence on big government. The very thing these hypocrites railed against while here.
These destination states all depend heavily on the "maker" states like California for the taxes that pay for all the federal assistance in social welfare, subsidies, disaster relief, etc. They receive.
There is no utopia. Every place has its warts. Tennessee isn't a high quality of life, well governed, healthy place to live. It only fares well economically because of low labor costs and below average cost of living. Healthcare, education, pollution, crime, etc. All rank low compared to more advanced states. All the nostalgic, wishful thinking and history book glamorizing won't change those statistical weaknesses. Polite neighbors who wave flags all day won't cure your cancer or heart disease if the local Healthcare options are poor. Or make your kids smarter or more independent of government if few decent paying jobs exist.