A Towering Idiocy

Larry Glass says no additional cellular towers are needed. He then points out that in many areas he personally gets no cellular service. Um, Larry? Oh, never mind. A mind is a terrible thing to be wasted.

Does anyone believe that the proposed 45-day moratorium on cellular tower permits has any goal but the denial of new permits? The Council has been buffaloed by a few loud people who include NIMBYs, techno-phobes, and anti-development zealots into considering a knee-jerk measure with no reasonable justification.

Do you use a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a microwave oven? You're exposed to RF radiation greater than what you receive by standing beneath a cell tower. So what exactly is your problem here, Larry? Do you think people shouldn't be allowed to use cellular phones within the city? Or do you think they should have unlimited cellular access without the use of antennas and towers?

While you're at it, let's legislate that a car shall run without gasoline. Some things, Larry, can't be controlled by legislative fiat.

Elections' Reflections

If the stakes weren't so high, I could have been mightily amused by this year's election run-up. Sometimes it seemed like an extended Saturday Night Live skit. I mean, from back in the days when SNL was funny. Consider:

• When will Keith Olbermann's handlers get him that badly-needed distemper shot?
• Was Chris Matthews certain his leg was tingling for Obama, or was it time to shop for Depends?
• Where was John Edwards? Couldn't he tear himself away from the baby-supplies catalogs long enough to provide welcome comic relief?
• Fascinating as Sarah Palin's campaign wardrobe allowance was, I couldn't help wondering about other moneys, like $700,000,000 in donations from the likes of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and anonymous Middle Eastern sources.
• Apparently the old "This Is Your Life" television show is being revived. In its new incarnation, the contestant asks a policy question of a political candidate, then has his personal life examined and publicized for national consumption. In the bonus rounds, government workers illegally access records to sift for embarrassing information on the contestant.

In local news, no surprises, except for the passage of Proposition 8. Apparently it's possible to overreach, even in California. Naturally, we've only endured Round One of that circus, as the Governator has suggested the state Supreme Court will invalidate the action. That's an interesting legal theory: Declaring a Constitutional amendment un-constitutional. Perhaps the squat, broad Austrian needs to brush up on the concept of the Constitutional amendment process. On the plus side, I haven't heard much talk lately of amending the U.S. Constitution to allow someone not born here to serve as president. So, thanks for that, Arnold.

At any rate, I can hardly wait to take advantage of this newfound love and respect the world will show the U.S. Lower tariffs, respect for national borders, real assistance combating terrorism and rogue regimes, an end to the proliferation of dual-use technology to execrable tyrants in North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela, and the introduction of sanity and accountability to a United Nations sorely lacking both. And that's just what I expect to see by the end of January! Yes, according to ABC/CBS/NBC/MSNBC (Not technically one network) a new era has dawned.

Trailers for sale or rent...

Today's Times-Standard, which is apparently some sort of tabloid published in the area, quoted acting police chief Garr Nielsen as saying Eureka needs a permanent, public-supported homeless camp. Did someone pave over the area behind Bayshore Mall when I wasn't looking? Why reinvent the wheel?

Nielsen suggested that Eureka should make some city parking lots available for people to sleep in their cars...

This brings up some questions--will these budget RV owners be provided with the spiffy new city parking permits, or will they need to keep putting change in the meter? "Spare some change, Ma'am? I need to feed the meter outside my living room."

Perhaps a low-cost, effective solution will present itself if we merely look around. You know, the former Jefferson School site is vacant. Why not make that a permanent, public-supported homeless camp? It already has bathrooms and wastebaskets, which appear to be acting chief Nielsen's main criteria for the facility. As a bonus, nobody thinks it looks like a fortress; win-win!

A Fresh New Direction

At tonight's City Council meeting Council member Larry Glass described the proposed community oriented police plan as part of a "fresh, new direction." Acting police chief Garr Nielsen described the program as, essentially, a shift of a few personnel to slightly different duties, performed at a new yet-to-be-named location. Also, he wants the city to authorize the hiring of a new full-time employee to act as a public liaison and public information officer. Nielsen says offing a couple of employees--I mean, eliminating their positions--will free up funding for this new person, who will perform duties duplicative of those performed by current employees.

Council member Glass--again, not the same actual person as Garr--asked the acting chief and other city officials how this plan could be expedited, seeming especially interested in the hiring of this new, full-time employee. It's as if Larry and Garr already have someone in mind for the plum job. What are the odds of that?

Kudos are due to Mayor Bass for asking Garr exactly why a costly new full-time position is needed, noting that the same duties are performed by current employees.. Garr fidgeted like a 7th-grader called to the principal's office when trying to justify the position.

In sum, once the new position--designed to perform duties previously assigned to existing employees--is discounted, the plan amounts to shifting the responsibility and physical location of a few employees who will make their own way to reduce crime in certain areas. A fresh, new direction? Actually, it should be giving Larry and Garr a not-so-fresh feeling.

Racer X Down For the Count

Talk about your fortuitous timing. Racer X makes himself scarce around town for a few days, making the streets of Eureka a bit safer, and we learn he was a DNF in some event in the Bay area (Ask a NASCAR fan about DNF). I guess Racer X will be walking for a while. That's probably safest for all concerned.

Racer X is Missing?

I haven't seen Racer X's car downtown, stationary or in rapid motion. Perhaps he's off challenging Speed and the Mach 5 somewhere. Is there an event at Sears Point this week? Speed Racer and Racer X, bumping fenders, racing for pinks. I'd watch that. Hey, it's better than most of the "reality" shows currently broadcast.

Black Charger, Away!

There have been questions about town regarding the provenance of a black Dodge Charger with black steel wheels and tinted windows. Who operates it on the streets of Eureka with such elan (Elan being a French word meaning "Drives like Bo and Luke Duke")? Is there a Men in Black sequel being filmed here?

Careful observation of the vehicle reveals that it is frequently seen at the police department. Even more careful observation brought the opportunity to capture an image of the driver.







Now it all makes sense.