Easter from a non-Christian perspective
This is a very, very short sermon. The subject is immigration. The text is Matthew ii, 13-15. It ends with a call to action.
Category Perspectives
Sierra County is bleeding money!
The County has a trade deficit because we import much more than we export. As a result, money flows out of the county, making it economically weak. Outsiders are making money off us, taking advantage of us. What can we do to correct this unfair situation?
What you need to know, April 7, 2025: Apples, silos, and you
I link to an informative article on the Presidential order outlawing the siloing of personal data by various governmental agencies. Around this news, I weave comments on the kind of thinking that leads to this prohibition and what that tells us about our loss of a government.
The visionary godfather as president
It's business as usual in this country. Since the country is now a business, we look at how planning is a necessary part of any business, and we conclude that what looks like chaos is actually planned (as Secretary Kennedy claimed), visionary, even with a 20% error rate.
Musk Chainsaw IV: Frauds and “fraudsters”
Several thousand people in Sierra County receive Social Security checks every month. Elon Musk's DOG-es retrieved personal information from Social Security's computer system. A court ordered that breech of government security stopped. In response, Social Security threated to shut the whole system down. Now the Commerce Secretary has weighed in.
Musk Chainsaw III: Asperger Syndrome and Empathy
The President's attack Dog-e often mentions that he has Asperger Syndrome. What does this actually mean, and why should we think about it?
The Water Security Act: Water doesn’t come from the tap
The state has reopened the comment period on its draft Rules and Regulations on Regional Water Security Councils. This article explains what this means, why it is important, and why we should all engage in these new entities of grass-roots self-government. Bottom line: water is your life.
Free Speech and Abuse of Free Speech
I compare the weekly Kingston demonstration against federal governmental actions with the County Commissioners' Resolution against federal governmental actions relative to the concept of First Amendment's protection of speech.
What you need to know, February 27, 2025: A Medley on Healthcare
I link to and comment on three articles about medical care: 1) the death of a child from measles; 2) meddling with the VA's health system in ways that will reduce available health care for veterans; 3) NM's debate on excessive malpractice insurance costs.
What You Need to Know, February 23, 2025: Federal Firings in New Mexico
I link to Searchlight New Mexico's article which interviews three people recently fired from the Forest Service. I follow with an opinion piece discussing the continual firing of civil servants as the product of a new idea of government, not imagined in the country's past.
Unexpected joy
After almost a two year battle to reopen Forest Road 40E west of Kingston to public access, we prevailed. The lock is removed and the entry to Middle Percha Canyon is opened with a permanent easement. This story reflects the joy felt by lovers of the canyon.
Ballot question you should question
This is the third op-ed by Sierra County Flood Commissioner Sandy Jones that I have sponsored. Jones is a governor-appointed official who oversees flood-control projects and funds them with the 1.5 mills county property owners currently pay. Will voters approve the creation of a second county flood-control taxing district?