I’m going to shoot you in the face. I’m going to kiss you in the face. I only changed one word. Mr. and Mrs. Jones your daughter is dead. Mr. and Mrs. Jones your daughter is alive. Again, only changed one word. Charles Mann claiming victory after being ordered by Judge Warren Siegel to change 12 of 13 points in his “No on C” argument is ridiculous yet totally predictable. He and his golf buddies have been manipulating the media since they began their faux-environmental group in January of this year. This time they were called to the carpet and lost. How arrogant do you need to be to walk out of a courtroom after being handed your lunch and say you won? If you’re reading this, and you know Charles Mann, then you know what I’m talking about. Oh, by the way, Judge Siegel only changed one word in his ruling on 12 of 13 points, from innocent to guilty.
Blog
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POLITICAL SELF PRESERVATION – (submitted April 8th,2007)
We all want to keep our jobs, right? And most of us, I would hope, have a desire to achieve beyond our current station in life. Sifting through the thousands of job-related decisions one makes each day, what percentage is truly for the good of the business and what percentage is completely self-serving? Maybe you don’t have a job like that. But if you’re a politician representing the city of San Clemente, you most certainly do. That specific consideration is waged on each and every decision you make. The question for you, as a political animal, is will the decision benefit the city more or benefit you more? Or, will it only benefit what you percieve as a positive political decision? At the March 20th, San Clemente City Council meeting I witnessed what I percieved to be political self-preservation at it’s clumsiest. Again, a predetermined G. Wayne Eggleston deliberated with image and image alone in mind. How else can you explain his reasons for voting against the rezoning of 7 acres of land from neighborhood commercial to residential. He stated that his two greatest concerns were;
a) the process in which the city undertook the project and
b) traffic.
a) It was made abundantly clear during the meeting that the process was standard protocol.
b) traffic,…Mr. Eggleston must have a very low opinion of his constituents intelligence, or as stated above, he only voted against the Amendment to make himself look good, or both. Who actually thinks that 135 units would dramatically affect traffic? Have you ever driven down Vista Hermosa? Have you ever been at the Vista Hermosa/La Pata intersection? As pointed out by Lori Donchek, the affected thoroughfares would retain “A” LOS (Level of Service) cIassifications. And at “A” classifications, motorists are able to regularly drive well above the posted speed limit. In a school zone, how safe is that? Mr. Eggleston shares some of the same charm and demographic as the late Liberace, and he has been equally successful in steering his following to support his agenda, but back to my original question; what percentage of the decisions are best for the city in which he serves and what percentage are solely for political self-preservation?
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Jim’s Up To His Old Tricks Again – (SCTimes Mar. 22-28)
If you read the San Clemente Times “Letter to the Editor”(Mar.15-21, Vol. 2, issue 11) entitled “unplayable lies” by Jim Smith and you’re not a golfer, you didn’t get his attempt at being clever. Once again, just as with the flyers he and his clan littered your doorways and windshield wipers with, the half-truths and misleading statements came spewing forth like the projectile spittle of an onion-nosed, overzealous timeshare salesman. Mr. Smith stated that Pacific Golf has been open every day since July, 1988, and that one of the previous owners never filed for bankruptcy. Relevance please? Michael Rosenfeld didn’t file for bankruptcy either. But he did promise to keep the course open for the members, like Jim Smith who is a member, while he prepared a plan to make the club financially solvent. Mr. Smith stated that Golf Investment LLC does not own or operate any other golf courses. Golf Investment LLC is a limited liability company created specifically for Pacific Golf Club. The majority of the management team at Pacific has worked the better part of the last two decades for major “Golf Course Operators” and private golf clubs, mostly in California. Mr. Smith also has an LLC in which he operates just one business (which incidentally is not a golf course). Mr. Smith cited several clubs as examples of successful clubs he termed, “non-18 hole” business models. Of the courses he listed, all but two have hotels, homes, golf villas or condominium real estate attached. Only one has 27 holes, home of the Masters Tournament, Augusta National. If you visit his website, savesclopenspace.com, and read through the FAQ’s it becomes quite apparent that saving open space is not his objective. Hopefully, experienced golfers and all the citizens of San Clemente will recognize this ruse for what it is, a plain old lie.
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AN OPINION ON FAITH
Basra’s murderous militias tell Christian women to cover up or face death
The headline above is from a TimesOnline(UK) news article from Dec. 8th. I was outraged and saddened when I read the story. Obviously the violence and the actions of this Shia Militia are astounding to western thinkers, but the part that is most upsetting is the misuse of faith. I consider faith and religion two separate entities in that faith exists without religion. Faith was first. Religion is manufactured by man. Unfortunately, like many man-made things, religion is flawed.
How many times has the Christian bible been re-written? It is well known that Kings from centuries ago employed their own selfish influence over the scribes who copied each letter-character by hand. How many translations, revisions, additions and interpretations exist? You have the power to dictate your beliefs, even when there is no supporting evidence. You can train yourself to adhere to a set of moral standards based on a belief. Your beliefs can blind you with eyes wide open, but your faith can enable you to see without eyes.
Faith has the power to heal. Faith has the power to change the world. Many throughout history have used that knowledge to their selfish advantage and many continue to do so today. Your belief is a commodity that funds a corporation called a church. But your faith is the driving force behind life.
I believe there is one raw and basic necessity worthy to dictate your morality and standard of living; survival. I’m not referring to self-survival which could lead you to step on the face of child to exit a burning building. I believe there is an impulse in all of us to survive as a group. The same impulse that demands you save the child first, even at the risk of personal injury or death. Your survival, ultimately depends on a cooperative effort by all of humankind. Not the exclusion of one or another based on belief, but the basic organic necessity we all share. I believe that once we embrace that idea, true respect can be attained, and our individual and personal faiths will blend to create a sensitive, intelligent, sustainable, enriched and blessed existence.
peace
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A Message From Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, has a message for the Presidential Candidates of 2008.
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Houston, there’s a Problem
Fat and Happy. We’re so spoiled we think if we ignore the corruption and crime around us, maybe it will go away. We peer out of our windows at sirens and screams and assume someone else will handle it. We turn our heads at the obvious and blatant misdeeds of our leaders and figure we can’t do anything about it. We’re so happy and protective of our lifestyle that we’re terrified of anything messing it up. We’re our own worst enemy.
Man, I don’t mean everybody, there are a few of you who will actually stand up, and you need to keep doing it, but most of us don’t. Take a look at what is seriously happening around you. You have the power to change things. CHANGE THINGS.
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is upon us. (whole heart) You need to reach out to those who have made a difference in your life. Tell them how you feel. Tell them what they mean to you. You may not have that opportunity tomorrow.
“Tomorrow Never Knows” – George Harrison
[BREAK]
Now
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PARTY LOYALTY
When votes are party driven rather than motivated by principal or belief, we run the risk of losing our most valuable trait as a country.
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11/13/2007
Sitting in a garage chair, listening to Internet Radio and street activity.
High on cheap vodka and remembering the Wizard of Oz.
Trying to solve IE7 CSS div positioning problems, and thinking I’ve passed the point of objectivity, or coherency,
thinking about Tacos.
Did you hear that?
Sorry, just a moth.
Pragmatical economist in me demands I finish the bottle.
Humanist is too weak to respond.
The cells are rapidly deteriorating, not much I can do about that.
Do I accelerate the process, or combat it?
I’m going to die anyway.
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CAREER POLITICIANS
Do you remember in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Veruca Salt at the end of her “I Want it Now!!” rant, jumped up on the Egg-dicator. She was identified as a bad egg and was dropped down the chute to the incinerator. Don’t you wish politicians were required to jump up on the Egg-dicator before they ran for office? If you are a “Career Politician”, what is your number one priority? Is it your constituents or your career? If your main source of income relies on staying in office, how objective can you be?