Tag Archives: Government

The Elephant In The Room

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I would much rather write about my angst with garden bunnies who destroyed my lawn and post photos of birds and butterflies or continue my passionate obsession with the musical genius of Leon Russell than deal with harsh realities but the elephant in the room is stomping her feet and demands to be heard, so here’s a little something about what’s going on in the (not very) United States.

I haven’t watched the news since Election Day. I mean, what’s the point? I still can’t understand how any of this happened, how we’re enduring this hellscape government like we’re stuck inside of a bad futuristic sci-fi film.

Still, even without the doomnews reports every five minutes, it’s hard NOT to know about all of the senseless violence in every corner of our country, including the recent death of a certain divisive agitator podcaster. I actually had no idea who Kirk even was, but social media was quite informative. His doctrine included stances against LGBTQ+ rights, diversity initiatives, climate change action, and mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. He often made seriously ugly racist remarks that I won’t repeat. He promoted evangelical christian beliefs and argued against the separation of church and state. He once said  “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage.”

What’s even more spine-chilling is that he had any followers at all. I fear for our children and grandchildren. Hate is pervasive. The US is not a nice place to live right now.

And this at an event organized by TPUSA Faith, “I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.” (From The Guardian)

Ironic, right?

I also think it’s vital to point out that Kirk was a podcaster and an influence peddler, NOT an elected US official, and certainly not a martyr. Any state services or funding for his funeral or other expenses are a gigantic misuse of taxpayer money. According to Occupy Democrats, his estate is worth at least twelve million. To put it in perspective, all the children who were victims of gun violence did not receive the same consideration.

These words are from A Mighty Girl, who seems to say it all, better than I could:

Today’s fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University comes just three months after Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was assassinated in her home — two leaders from different parties and opposing ideological perspectives, both silenced by acts of political violence.

Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at an event in Orem, Utah, while Hortman, a 55-year-old Democratic leader of the Minnesota House, was assassinated alongside her husband Mark in a politically motivated attack by a far-right extremist on June 14.

The fatal shootings of Hortman and Kirk, a legislative leader and a political activist, are a stark reminder of how dangerous extremism and political animosity can become when left unchecked.

Kirk was addressing a crowd at his “American Comeback Tour” event when he was killed. The right-wing political activist, whose organization promoted conservative politics on college campuses, had become one of the most prominent voices in the conservative youth movement.

Three months earlier, Vance Boelter, a far-right extremist disguised as a law enforcement officer, killed Representative Hortman and her husband, and seriously wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Authorities found a list in Boelter’s vehicle containing nearly 70 potential targets, including abortion providers and Democratic lawmakers across multiple states. Both victims, Kirk and Hortman, represented the diverse range of political leaders now under threat.

The scope of this crisis cannot be ignored. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, between 2016 and 2025, there were 25 attacks and threats targeting elected officials, political candidates, judges and government employees that were motivated by partisan beliefs. For comparison, only two such incidents were reported in the two previous decades. The increase in partisan attacks spans the ideological spectrum but has done little to lower the temperature in political rhetoric.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat whose home was attacked and set ablaze in April while his family slept inside, condemned today’s tragedy in unequivocal terms: “Political violence has no place in our country. We must speak with moral clarity. The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society”.

The words and actions of our political leaders in the coming days will prove consequential. Lilliana Mason, Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of “Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy,” warns that how leaders respond to these attacks will determine whether violence escalates or subsides.

Yet even as leaders call for unity, the challenge remains addressing the rhetoric that experts say fuels such violence.

trump has referred to political opponents as “vermin” that needed to be “[rooted] out”; called judges “monsters”; and, in a Memorial Day social media post, described those Americans who oppose his policies as “scum” and accused them of “trying to destroy our country.” Trump’s highly charged language explicitly demonizes his political opponents such as when he described them last October as an “enemy from within” that is “more dangerous than China, Russia, and all those countries.”

His aggressive, divisive, and dehumanizing rhetoric toward those who disagree with him — often labelling them as “enemies” and “traitors” — is viewed by many experts as inflaming such extremism and contributing to the normalization of political violence. An analysis of Trump’s speeches over the past ten years by UCLA political scientists found that not only has his use of violent language increased over time but that it surpassed that of nearly all other politicians studied from democratic countries.

In addition to his often extremist rhetoric, Trump has demonstrated a willingness to absolve acts of physical violence to advance his political interests. In a deeply troubling indication of his priorities, Trump made pardoning the January 6 attackers one of his very first acts upon returning to office. On his first day in office, Trump granted full pardons to all those convicted in the January 6 attack, over 1,500 rioters in total, including the 123 individuals charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to a police officer.

Equally concerning is how political violence, once unleashed, can become a pretext for authoritarian overreach. History shows that leaders with autocratic tendencies often exploit acts of political violence to justify crackdowns on civil liberties, suppress dissent, and consolidate power. From the Reichstag Fire that enabled Hitler’s rise to emergency powers, to modern strongmen who use security threats to silence opposition and restrict press freedoms, political violence creates a cycle where democratic norms erode from both ends.

A recent study by political scientist James Piazza found that countries where politicians used hate speech ‘often’ or ‘extremely often’ experienced an average of 107.9 domestic terrorist attacks compared to just 12.5 attacks in countries where politicians rarely used such language. Republican lawmakers have largely remained silent about or defended such rhetoric, despite warnings from security experts about its potential to inspire violence.

As individuals and as a nation, our “task now is to not let the people at the extremes pull the rest of us over the edge with them,” Dr. Garen Wintemute, the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at UC Davis, urged in an interview today. “We need to make our rejection of political violence clear.”

We wish strength and healing for Representative Melissa Hortman’s two children who lost both parents just three months ago.

By the way, we haven’t forgotten. RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!

I just saw this open letter from the 50501 Movement and it’s too brilliant not to share:

Dear MAGA,

Why are you still so mad? You got what you wanted, remember? Trump back in office, no more “mean tweets” from Biden, and enough guns on the street to outfit a small army. Congratulations, mission accomplished.

You keep yelling about Biden like he’s still haunting you, but wasn’t the whole point to replace him? You still have your precious guns, even as shootings pile up like unpaid bills. When the Minnesota senators were gunned down, you couldn’t even admit the shooter was a far-right Christian nationalist. Instead, you spun excuses and conspiracies — and a sitting senator even posted something vile about it, with zero reprimand. Trump didn’t even bother to call Governor Walz. That’s your “law and order” president.

And let’s not forget your other golden boy, Charlie Kirk. He said empathy is weakness and shootings are just the “price of freedom.” Those were his words. Yet today, after he was killed, suddenly it’s outrage, grief, and endless demands for sympathy. And who announced his death? Trump. Not the family. Not officials. Trump, center stage again, making it about himself. So which is it? Why the tantrum? Why scream when people protest? Shouldn’t this be, by your own logic, the kind of thing you shrug off, maybe even laugh about like the “snowflakes” crying in the street?

You love to chant “law and order,” but under your hero, crime and political violence are worse. You rail about “Bidenflation,” but prices didn’t magically drop when Trump took over again. You brag about being the “party of God,” but your leaders mock empathy, sneer at compassion, and worship money like it’s a sacrament. And you laugh at “snowflakes,” while turning victimhood into your entire political identity.

Meanwhile, Epstein files keep spilling out, and surprise Trump’s name lingers like a bad smell. Gaza is bleeding, 18,000 kids dead, but hey, maybe there’ll be a shiny new Trump Tower in Palestine (satire he hasn’t announced this, but you know it’s the only thing he’d care about). Putin’s bombing Poland, but relax you’ll either call it “fake news” or say NATO had it coming. And here at home, the National Guard is deployed in the streets like a permanent prop the same militarization you claimed to hate when it wasn’t your guy in charge.

And since you love “tradition,” maybe you’re quietly thrilled we’re back to experimenting on Black bodies again (rhetorical framing referring to the real case of Adriana Smith in Georgia, kept alive on machines to deliver her baby). Her son Chance, barely five pounds, is fighting for survival while her family is forced to grieve in public. Freedom for you, exploitation for everyone else.

So again… why are you so mad? Isn’t this the America you ordered off the menu? You broke it, you bought it.

Sincerely,
The rest of us living in the wreckage

NO KINGS! Attend June 14 National Day of Action

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I’m so proud of the San Diego community that stood strong to protect and defend the ICE kidnapping that happened on May 30 at a local restaurant, Buona Forchetta.

A video of the ICE raid showed heavily armed and masked agents (modern day Gestapo) dressed in full tactical gear surrounding the restaurant. A large crowd of community members pushed back at the ICE agents, surrounding their vehicles and yelling. The ICE agents deployed flash bang smoke grenades which broke up the crowd.

A local politician questioned why ICE agents were carrying machine guns and “aggressively shoving people against the walls,” handcuffing all the employees. He said the warrant for the raid, which was signed by a federal judge, instructed ICE agents to arrest everyone and detain all the employees.

“I don’t know how a federal judge signs off on that,” he said. “What about the rights of those citizens?” He said the warrant didn’t indicate reference to any of the workers having committed violent crimes.

Another politician said that the TWENTY armed agents who burst into the restaurant traumatized the staff and the owner.

Can you believe this is actually happening? And THIS, too…

The orange POS has planned a military parade in Washington, D.C. for his birthday on June 14. This display of might is intended to intimidate opponents and solidify his image as a strongman on our dime—we won’t stand by while that happens.

Instead of allowing this military farce to overwhelm the day, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.

It’s significant that the new Pope also chose this day to appear in Chicago as hopefully millions of people gather and celebrate the election of its native son — and first North American pontiff — Pope Leo XIV.

Have you seen the news that the orange POS sent the National Guard to Los Angeles EVEN THOUGH our Governor did NOT request their presence?

Did you hear that the orange POS has made it ILLEGAL to wear masks in public UNLESS you’re a member of his ICE gestapo?

Do you understand what is going on? This is not a drill; democracy is in trouble. According to the nonprofit, Third Act, our role is to bring the power and wisdom of elders to this movement, to ensure our voices are heard loud and clear to protect our democracy and our rights.

I think I’ll join my friends and neighbors locally on June 14. Rise up! RESIST!

My Stupid Little Town

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Our water district sent out notices about a horrendous and onerous rate increase planned over the next two years.

For example, if you now pay around $71 a month, the rate will shoot up to approximately $119 a month by 2027. That is absolutely unconscionable and a definite hardship for a lot of us.

The law requires a certain period of time for protests and objections but only for due diligence, NOT because they’ll take our opinions into consideration.

Some people wrote letters and a few of us also showed up to speak at the hearing to affirm or deny the rate increase. I realize that this was a futile exercise more based in legality rather than actually caring about the community because our council doesn’t really care at all about the people who live here; they are fully invested in overdevelopment and support all the rate increases from water to trash.

I’m really sorry more people didn’t come to the stupid council meeting yesterday to voice concerns about the egregious water rate increases but I understand — nothing we say or do ever seems to change the outcome of anything that’s done to stop the ruin of this once adorable coastal city.

The reality is that those people on council do not represent the community they are SUPPOSED to represent.

One guy who spoke said he was a civil engineer and actually supported the increase; maybe he was looking for a job? Kiss ass or a plant, I’m not sure.

The city consistently approves more and more low income housing projects but doesn’t think about those same low income residents on pensions, disability, Social Security, and other types of fixed incomes who are (or will become) deeply impacted by our chaotic economy and cuts to services will actually be able to pay for necessities.

Who can afford an increase of $30+ a month? Council is out of touch with real people. They live in a bubble and not only don’t understand-they simply don’t care.

The water district’s millennial spokeshead was angling for a pat on her back as she uptalked this NOT very humble brag…”We eliminated two full time positions to save money.” like that in and of itself should justify their economically burdensome rate increase?

How much is she paid? Team Leaders at this water district are paid an average of $175,000 per year. Others are paid between $47 and $60 per hour. Group Managers earn $270,000 per year. I think we all can figure out where costs could be slashed to pay for our water increase.

I knew it was a waste of time but I showed up anyway and here’s what I said:

“You all need to learn to read the room. How are you continuously so incredibly disconnected from REGULAR people? It makes no economic nor reasonable sense in this seriously screwed up political landscape to raise rates of any sort, especially now.

Look at it another way—you constantly approve building all these low income housing projects, right?

And there are lots of seniors and retired people in Carlsbad, and other low income families on Section 8– so how do you expect this demographic who rely on some sort of fixed income to pay for these egregious increases when their FIXED income doesn’t match the increased cost? 

Haven’t you thought this through, this macro picture? Do you all live in a bubble?

If the stock market continues to implode, if Social Security and disability is reduced or completely cut, if pensions and public assistance are wiped out, WHO IS going to be able to afford the increased water rates? 

It makes no sense. THIS IS NOT THE TIME. I strongly and LOUDLY object and protest the tone deaf water rate increase.

This rate increase is beyond ridiculous, especially in these uncertain economic times.

It’s an egregious misuse of power to increase financial hardship for those of us who don’t know if we’ll even have a job or are on tenuous fixed incomes. You need to radically correct this type of financial exploitation. It’s an economic burden we do not need to carry.

The truth is that you do not need any rate increase; what you need to do is LOWER your water rates.”

And then I looked at the entire council’s facial valences that communicated zero emotion, negative OR positive as they stared at me with flat affects, and ended my three minutes with, “Crickets again, I see. What a disappointment you all are.”

Featured photo by Enchanted Seashells

Poetic Truth : Pity The Nation

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We are living in sad and scary times. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the poem “Pity the Nation” in 2007, drawing inspiration from Khalil Gibran’s original work of the same title, published in 1933. Their words are a reminder about the cycles of history.  

We’ve been warned.

PITY THE NATION

Pity the nation whose people are sheep
   And whose shepherds mislead them
 Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
            Whose sages are silenced
  And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
 Pity the nation that raises not its voice
          Except to praise conquerers
       And acclaim the bully as hero
          And aims to rule the world
              By force and by torture
          Pity the nation that knows
        No other language but its own
      And no other culture but its own
 Pity the nation whose breath is money
 And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
      Pity the nation oh pity the people
        who allow their rights to erode
   and their freedoms to be washed away
               My country, tears of thee
                   Sweet land of liberty!
 Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 2007

                         

PITY THE NATION
By Khalil Gibran, 1933

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpetings, and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpetings again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.

Sisters, ARISE… I Understand The Assignment

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Let’s do it this time; let’s get the job done and elect President Kamala Harris!

When Hillary Clinton ran for president, I was really excited. I posted signs, I made phone calls, I participated in governance.

I thought she won. We ALL thought she won. She SHOULD have, but…

There’s a lot to unpack and delve into about why and how she didn’t become president because she absolutely won the popular vote. I truly believe the vote was interfered with.

According to TIme magazine, When Russia set out to interfere with the 2016 election, it went all out.

“Over the course of the election, a wide-ranging group of Russians probed state voter databases for insecurities; hacked the Hillary Clinton campaign, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee; spread propaganda on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram; staged rallies in Florida and Pennsylvania; set up meetings with members of the Trump campaign and its associates; and floated a business proposition for a skyscraper in Moscow to the Trump Organization. The goal, as determined by the U.S. intelligence community and backed up by evidence was to damage the Clinton campaign, boost Trump’s chances, and sow distrust in American democracy overall.”

I remember first being overjoyed, then confused, and finally, majorly depressed as, with class and dignity, Hillary conceded.

Since President Biden has chosen not to seek another term and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the BEST and ONLY Democratic party nominee, we are BEYOND EXCITED!

From Kamala’s speech: “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you. Part of the extension of the work you will do is, yes, focused on our young leaders and our young people, but understanding we also then have to be clear about the needs of their parents and their grandparents and their teachers and their communities, because none of us just live in a silo. Everything is in context.”

With future President Kamala Harris, we have another chance. I hope you understand the assignment, too.

It’s too important to NOT vote. We need to save democracy and save our reproductive rights and save this country from the horrors of Project 2025 or another four years of that insane orange turd and his disgusting MAGA cult, the cult of derangement.

Out of Darkness

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The last five years have been a collective dark night of the soul for this country as well as for many people who have endured their own somber and murky life experiences.

We were collectively ravaged by a malignant sociopathic narcissist. By all rights, in 2016 Hillary Clinton should have been our president; there’s no argument that she won three million more votes, but because of our weird system of the Electoral College process, for whatever reason it didn’t turn out that way.

Ultimately she conceded, not by inciting riots and insurrection, but in a super classy way. However, she knew. She KNEW. And so did I.

Today we’re witnessing the tortuous climb out of the depths of hell, reaching toward light out of darkness.

Do you think I’m being melodramatic?

I don’t. We’ve all witnessed an absolute decline in humanity, of empathy, of compassion, of civility, and now, the universe is setting things right.

The kaleidoscope shifted just a bit, but enough.

Part of President Biden’s inaugural speech:
“Our better angels have always prevailed”

As above, so below.

Did you know that a good friend of mine recently died from Covid-19? He was only fifty-two years old and in good health. It was a mere three weeks from the first day he felt sick to the day he died in hospital in a medically induced coma on a ventilator and dialysis. I went to RiteAid for a sympathy card and noticed that all those racks were empty. There were a lot of birthday and anniversary cards, but slot after slot of folded pieces of paper designed to express our care and concern were empty. EMPTY. I went to another store and another and found the same scenario. That’s when it really hit me. There are so many deaths, now 400,000 — that we can’t keep up with the demand for condolence cards.

Witnessing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the oaths of office as President and Vice President will once again allow us to feel proud of being Americans. We’ll have rational humans in charge again. Thank goodness.

I regret not being able to see and hear Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Namaste and I’ll end this with the great and beautiful Lady Gaga singing The National Anthem

Call to action for Luna, a coyote

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What has happened to Luna is nothing short of intolerable cruelty. 

Personally, I am absolutely heartbroken and disgusted. There is no justification for her suffering.

One of the valuable tools of being a blogger with a following of about 5,000 inclusive of all platforms-is the ability to ask for help, to send a message, to build awareness. 

This is an urgent call to action.

Please read this post, visit the links to learn more, make the calls, and do something good before the end of the year.

Friends , this is very important to me personally as well as to our wolf and coyote communities. PLEASE HELP.

Please try to help this tortured soul Luna get back to her safe haven of 13 years with Tomi Tranchita  in Illinois.

This is an emergency.

The State of Illinois is trying to get a judge to dismiss her case NEXT WEEK

We need you all to make calls immediately asking that the  Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton‘s office steps in and stops this nonsense that continues to hurt Luna.

Please comment and make calls to her office as well — Be prepared to leave an informing message asking her office to step in as we rightfully expect this judge to order the state DNR attorneys to STOP BULLYING Tomi and to mediate and settle this matter — NOT DISMISS IT.

Phone: (217) 558-3085

Fax: (217) 558-3094

Phone: (312) 814-5240

Fax: (312) 814-5228​

Fax and/or calls better than emails right now. 

Luna should be allowed to return to Tomi’s Federal and State licensed facility without fear of another illegal raid.

Bring Luna the Coyote Home
https://www.facebook.com/bringlunathecoyotehome/

Tomi Tranchita
https://www.facebook.com/tomi.tranchita

Donate:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/2687929711226109/10156970303414353/

History:
At dawn on April 24, 2019, Tomi Tranchita’s Wildlife Education facility and her home were invaded by armed officers brandishing assault rifles and beating on her doors. These Illinois State agents seized Ms. Tranchita’s four coyotes, needlessly shooting them with tranquilizer guns, and dragged the animals by their throats with pole chokeholds, leading to the death of all but one of her perfectly healthy animals. The brutal handling of the animals was in violation of federal regulations governed by the AWA. In actual fact, the raid itself was done on a fraudulently obtained warrant, violating Tranchita’s property rights and her 14th amendment right to due process.

This raid wrongfully shut down Tranchita’s long-established, licensed Wildlife Education Program. Therefore, we ask the State to affirm that Ms. Tranchita has satisfied all state requirements to resume her Education Program and that her surviving ambassador coyote may be returned to her facility.

The excessive use of force and intimidation was orchestrated by one “peace” officer (“Officer M”) employed by the IDNR State Fish and Game Agency (IDNR). Having recently moved into her neighborhood and hearing a coyote howl, Officer M was determined to seize Tranchita’s animals. He investigated her program and found that she had inadvertently forgotten to renew a $25 state permit.

However, in applying for a seizure warrant based on that technicality alone, he neglected to inform the magistrate that Tranchita’s facility has been federally licensed the entire 13 years of its operation.

Fraudulent warrant in hand, Officer M led the violent raid showing no regard for the animals’ well-being. Beautiful, healthy coyotes, all crate-trained, were dragged by their throats, choking and bleeding. When Ms. Tranchita offered to crate the animals for their own safety, Officer M would not allow it, saying he was in a hurry because he was going on vacation. 

The traumatic, brutal handling in this seizure of her four long-established educational coyotes is portrayed on several videos like this one. These animals had never before experienced violence in their lifetimes. 

The brutality continues to outrage more than 40,000 citizens. The stress perpetrated on Ms. Tranchita’s animals resulted in three dying, still with no confirmed explanation. Luna, the last survivor, has been moved three times and was in state custody for five months — all on the taxpayers’ dime. 

Officer M also lied to Ms. Tranchita, saying her coyotes would be taken to huge one-acre enclosures. In fact, Ms. Tranchita’s facility is significantly larger than the small enclosures they were moved to. Before he left her property, Officer M told Ms. Tranchita he knew she was upset, and he suggested she call a mental health hotline. 

The IDNR denied Tranchita’s court-ordered visitation for weeks.

The agency still refuses to return any of Ms. Tranchita’s personal property, licenses, and documents Officer M took from her. 

Officer M attempted to instigate neighborhood concerns but failed. By his own admission, no other neighbors had any problem with the coyotes in the 13 years Tranchita operated her facility. Every neighbor, every facility visitor, and every annual federal inspection report for 13 years stated Tranchita took excellent care of the animals; they had no concerns about her facility, or her educational program, which has also had a flawless safety record.   

Indeed, the IDNR has known all along of Tranchita’s facility and her coyotes. They had been to her facility. They had themselves licensed the facility for years. They also knew of her USDA-issued federal license and that she’d held it for 13 years.

Even though this officer is under investigation by the Inspector General’s office for his failure to uphold due process procedures before instigating this raid, as well as his unprofessional and derogatory comments and brash behavior, IDNR proceeded to file charges against Ms. Tranchita instead of firing this rogue officer and apologizing for the damages his actions caused. 

Months of court hearings followed the seizure, beginning in traffic court. The judges there had no wildlife law experience. Therefore, they deferred to what the IDNR’s attorneys claimed the obtusely complex rules meant. 

So what did the IDNR ultimately conclude Ms. Tranchita was guilty of? 

The only violation they could charge her with was the lapsed $25 “furbearer” permit — a document you can simply acquire online from the IDNR agency’s website. Conversely, the USDA-APHIS license requires annual onsite inspections of the facility and the animals, as well as acquiring the same from the veterinarian of record. These requirements, and their costs, are mandated of all licensees annually. A renewal packet is sent to every federal licensee each year prior to their renewal date, while the state IDNR offers no such oversight, not even a renewal reminder.     

Is it unreasonable for a citizen to presume that she is not violating any laws when, for 13 years, her federal government renews its approval to continue operating? Further, is it unreasonable to expect that our federal and state agencies, which both regulate these activities, would communicate with each other?

Clearly, Ms. Tranchita’s missed permit payment was inadvertent; she was not trying to get away without paying a $25 fee (and immediately acquired the permit). Consider the expense and investment: She invested tens of thousands of dollars in her 13-year Wildlife Education Program and facility; and since incorporating the non-releasable coyotes as ambassadors into her program, she has paid all costs and requirements of annual inspections by both state and federal veterinarians and officials. Due to her investment and her dedication, her renewal has always been approved, and she has remained licensed under a USDA-APHIS Federal Class C Exhibitors educational use permit. There has not been a single infraction or complaint in 13 years. The facility exceeds recommended requirements for caging, public safety, and federal AWA animal care standards. And it certainly exceeds the IDNR’s standards.  

This disturbing, unwarranted, and completely unnecessary action was an egregious civil rights violation by the Illinois wildlife agency. The State is blatantly exhibiting a double standard. The IDNR makes many allowances for various captive wildlife purposes and pursuits, and Tranchita’s interests are not unique among them. Selective enforcement is unacceptable.

Wildlife values

Americans’ wildlife values have been shifting for decades. How long must we be forced to wait for our state wildlife agencies to govern accordingly? These agencies do not own our wildlife, we do. They work for us — for all wildlife and for all people EQUALLY. 

All non-releasable wildlife is required by the State to be euthanized. One of the very few exceptions is the rare availability of a licensed sanctuary or education program willing to accept such animals. Rare, because it is a tremendous undertaking requiring extensive knowledge, expenses and personal sacrifice to meet these animals’ needs for the duration of their lives. 

Tranchita took pride in these animals and found it rewarding to educate the public about coyote biology and behavior, their value to our ecosystem, and methods and solutions for coexisting with them to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

These animals were not house pets. The four non-releasable coyotes were safely held in large enclosures spanning her property. Tranchita’s program is clear about its position on the risks and challenges of responsible, qualified possession. Contrary to the State’s attempt to now repudiate Ms. Tranchita’s program despite its acknowledged approval, her program’s tutelage has fully supported the State’s opposition to keeping coyotes as “pets”. Education program animals are always given names and provided personalized care and attention. That does not define nor classify them as that of a house pet, and it is not a crime. Belittling the value of 13 years invested into such an animal is malicious manipulation of public opinion and of decision-makers unfamiliar with this professional pursuit. 

It is heavy-handed incidents like this — when citizens are denied their right to due process — that solidifies the public’s distrust of government authority and law enforcement. This display of authoritarian government was and is not acceptable.

We ask that Governor Pritzker advise his appointed IDNR Advisory Board to direct the IDNR agency to review its prejudice in this matter and immediately seek an amicable settlement agreement with Tomi Tranchita. Specifically, we ask that IDNR affirm that Ms. Tranchita has satisfied their requirements and may resume her Wildlife Education Program. Finally, we ask that in so doing, the State will allow Ms. Tranchita to immediately reacquire possession of her last surviving ambassador coyote. 

 

 

Mayor, Mayor, on the wall…

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Who’s the most intelligent, caring, and forward thinking of them all?

Lolz, THIS is pic speaks a thousand words, doesn’t it?

At the last of three Mayoral candidate debates/forums in Carlsbad, this one hosted by Pacific Ridge School and moderated by Voice of San Diego’s Jesse Marx, we witnessed a tired old sour faced dinosaur listening to the brilliant words spoken by a true visionary.

THIS is what Carlsbad needs.

Present in the moment, alert, thoughtful, intelligent…

Cori Schumacher.

Real. Genuine. Authentic.

Mayor Mall is the embodiment of “liar liar pants of fire“.

He was not truthful when he said he really really really responds to each and every email.

I can only speak for myself BUT I know that is specifically and categorically UNtrue.

He has NEVER responded nor acknowledged any email OR snail mail letter I personally sent to him during the years he’s been mayor of Carlsbad.

He delivered more confusing and obfuscating word salad, but what REALLY spoke to me was the demeaning and misogynistic device he used by consistently referring to Cori Schumacher as “her” or “she”, instead of affording her the respect Cori deserves by speaking her name, and by snarkily laughing while she was responding to questions.

This is a tool in the arsenal of a misogynist who covertly/overtly minimizes, diminishes, and depersonalizes women.

Unacceptable.

We will no longer have our voices silenced.

Vote for Cori Schumacher.

It’s a win-win for Carlsbad.

“Carlsbad Referendum Signatures Stun Caruso, City Council Pals”

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This is a great article in the San Diego Free Press about the corruption going on my little beach town. We are #CarlsbadStrong

Carlsbad Referendum Signatures Stun Caruso, City Council Pals

Strawberry Field Owner’s Campaign Donations Revealed

via Citizens for North County Facebook

By Richard Riehl

It must have been quite a shock for L.A.’s Caruso-affiliated executives to see the stack of signed petitions delivered to the Carlsbad city clerk’s office last Thursday. The 9,000 signers of the referendum petition are calling for a public vote on the developer’s plan for a lagoon-view shopping center, as promised in the title of the initiative, Measure to be Submitted Directly to the Voters.

When the Carlsbad city Council unanimously approved his plan on August 25, Caruso had already spent nearly $3 million on signature gatherers and a blizzard of glossy, full-color mailers to persuade 20,000 Carlsbadians that his plan to build a shopping mall was all about saving the Strawberry Fields.

The day after the council voted, a grassroots group, Citizens for North County, announced its plan to launch a referendum drive. Caruso had to redouble his marketing campaign. But this time his mailers, accompanied by daily prime time TV ads, featured headshot photos of and quotes from all five city Council members, as well as the owner of the Strawberry Fields. Each repeated the lie that signing the referendum would destroy the Strawberry Fields, despite the promise of Prop D to preserve them, passed by voters in 2006. The Caruso mailer included a detachable, postage-paid card to return to the city clerk for signers of the referendum to have their names withdrawn.

About 700 signers chose to do so. Caruso relied on the confusion caused by his two dishonest campaigns to “Save the Strawberry Fields,” the first by signing an initiative, the second by refusing to sign a referendum, to keep residents from signing anything. Heads he wins, tails we lose.

While the strange bedfellows of big-money and elected officials urged us to turn down our right to vote, the citizen-led referendum drive soldiered on, relying on social media to generate hundreds of volunteers to station themselves in city parks and other public places to collect 9,000 signatures in 30 days on a paltry $9,000 budget. That’s 300 signatures a day at a dollar apiece.

It took 90 days for Caruso’s professional signature gatherers to snag 20,000 signatures. With a $3 million budget, that amounts to only 222 signatures a day at $150 each.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the city Council not only refused to put the Caruso plan up for a vote in a special election, but even to delay their decision for 30 days to enable residents to be more fully informed. The August 25 meeting was packed with dissenters. You’d think elected officials would be more responsive to their constituents.

That made me curious about campaign contributions, so I went to the city’s website, where I found, among Mayor Matt Hall’s financial supporters, the name of James Ukegawa, the man you see posing in the Strawberry Fields on Caruso’s mailers and in his TV ads. He’s identified as a “Carlsbad Strawberry Company Farmer” on the mayor’s filing form, stamped by the city clerk on July 30, 2014. Ukegawa’s $5,000 contribution is dated June 7, 2014.

The “Strawberry Company Farmer” is identified on Michael Schumacher’s campaign finance filing as the “Owner of Aviara Farms.” He made two contributions to Schumacher’s campaign, one for $2,500 on September 12, 2014, the other for $1,760 on October 29, 2014.

Mayor Hall and Council member Schumacher had $9,260 good reasons between them to support their favorite constituent.

As I perused the many other contributions to the campaigns of these two candidates, I noted the number of out of town real estate companies, building and construction firms, and for some unknown reason, the special generosity of the executives of the Rancho Santa Fe Grand Pacific Resorts. I’ll leave that mystery to an investigative reporter, if there are any left after the collapse of print journalism.

The willingness to accept significant contributions from out of town businesses shows the hypocrisy of elected officials who blame “outside interests” for the success of a referendum drive. Click here to find the city’s web page disclosing campaign contributions.

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters has 30 days, not including weekends, to validate the referendum’s signatures to see if there are 6,523, the magic number that will force the city Council to either hold a special election or put Caruso’s plan on the ballot in the 2016 general election.

A few years ago, Carlsbad boasted of a $50 million reserve fund, I’m guessing it’s grown substantially since then. The city says the cost of a special election would be $500,000. Mayor Hall says it would be a waste of money. Considering what’s at stake, I’d say it’s a bargain.

Carlsbad Referendum Signatures Stun Caruso, City Council Pals

After his 30-year career in public education, Richard Riehl began his second life as a freelance journalist, beginning as an op-ed columnist for San Diego’s former daily newspaper, North County Times. During the 2008 Presidential campaign he edited the Huffington Post’s daily, Roadkill: OffTheBus’s Ongoing RoundUp of the Awkward, the Ugly, and the Just Plain Weird. His articles have appeared in the San Diego Reader’s BlogDiego, Carlsbadistan-Taming The Wilds of Carlsbad-by-The-Sea, and the OsideNews.com. Check out his blog at The Riehl World (theriehlworld2.blogspot.com), email him at richard_riehl@yahoo.com, and follow him on Twitter, @RichardRiehl.