Bratton… No faults with Fauci … Greensite… Back soon!… Steinbruner… High-rises increasing, County’s SB9 Ordinance, and more… Hayes… Natural reserves and Ecological reserves… Patton… Taking Some Advice From Ben… Matlock… RNC’s blooper, Melania’s plight, Bannon going away, and praying for dollars… Eagan… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover… Webmistress serves you…Moldy watercolor painting restoration… Quotes on….”Pride”
|
Dateline: June 12
NO FAULTS WITH FAUCI. 3.14 ACTION FUND sent this press release last week.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen reports on Fauci, and the indignities, insults and even threats he dealt with as he worked so long and hard to save us from the real and faked results from the covid threat. We owe him plenty.
314 Action Fund is the only national organization working to train, recruit, support, and elect Democrats with STEM and medical backgrounds to office at all levels of government.
Last week, Republicans set up a sham hearing to grill and mock Dr. Anthony Fauci (who retired two years ago from public service).
Marjorie Taylor Greene called for his prosecution and arrest – a sentiment shared by other Republicans like Rand Paul, James Comer, Lauren Boebert, and Ron DeSantis. This comes as conservative media outlets have spent thousands of hours blaming Dr. Fauci for the failed policies of Trump and GOP Governors during Covid-19.
Amid all of these unfair attacks we wanted to highlight the work of Dr. Anthony Fauci below to set the record straight!
DR. FAUCI FAVORABILITY POLL: Do you hold a favorable opinion of Dr. Anthony Fauci? Click here to answer the poll.
We appreciate your input,
314 Action
THE IRON CLAW. HBO MAX movie. (7.6IMDB) 
It’s hard to imagine that they’d make a movie about the phoniness of tag team wrestling and expect it to contain anything resembling a believable plot. Zac Efron heads this semi true story of the wrestling Von Erich family. They managed to involve the Christian church in it but to little or no avail. Bad acting, flaky plot, and it’s half billed as a documentary, do not watch.
RAISING VOICES. Netflix Series. (7.2 IMDB) 
It’s just a bit dated because they have a relatively normal family who have built and operate a marijuana farm in their basement. There’s also lots of alcohol and party times happening. Another sub plot is a momentary focus on whether or not some of the characters are lesbians. There is no reason for this topic and no reason to see this movie either.
HIT MAN. Netflix movie. (7.3 IMDB) It’s listed as a comedy and Glen Powell plays the lead as an undercover cop who takes on many jobs as a killer informant but fools everyone involved. The plot is amazingly confusing and full of posing and bad acting. The New York Times gave Powell big publicity and promotion last Sunday, pay no attention to it. They got it wrong, or are secretly managing Powell’s career.
ERIC. Netflix series (7.01IMDB). 
Now we get to see/hear Benedict Cumberbatch do an American accent. He’s part of the 1980’s New York City startup of PBS’s Sesame Street in its most innovative Jim Hensen period. It’s partly funny, but it’s about the father son relationship that Cumberbatch has with his son. They hit on the race issue, plus the gay life, and even the homeless scene. It has a corny ending but it’s still worth watching.
ATLAS. Netflix movie (5.6 IMDB) Just about another future earth after some kind of huge attack. This one stars (loosely) Jennifer Lopez and she’s terrible in this Hollywood 28 years after some horrible attack flop. Plenty of bots working with humans which seems to be nearly impossible. It’s even truer after you watch Dune part 2. Don’t bother.
MAESTRO IN BLUE. Netflix series (8.2 IMDB) A curious film made during the covid mask era in Greece. It’s about a music festival on an island, the handsome guy in charge of the festival, and all these gay guys who don’t seem to be happy while being gay. Then too there’s a sort of sub plot involving a 18 year old girl and a 40 plus guy. I couldn’t buy any of it.
DUNE. PART 2. Max movie (8.6 IMDB) (4 thumbs) 
An absolute genius of a special effects extravaganza. You’ll need to see (or read) the plot from Frank Herbert’s book to remember /learn all the names and plot twists involved in part 2. It’s about intergalactic spices and who owns them. Timothee Chalamet is the lead and Javier Bardem plays a serious role too along with Christopher Walken, Zendaya, Josh Brolin and thousands of digital look a likes. It’s the best use of advanced screen effects I’ve ever seen. The scope, the plot, the movie itself is the biggest ever. Don’t miss it and go to a theater to see it on the biggest screen possible.
A SIMPLE FAVOR. Netflix movie (6.8 IMDB) It’s billed as a drama/comedy and doesn’t qualify as either one. Anna Hendrick is the lead and she is simply just not funny OR believable. Rupert Friend and Henry Golding are in it too, but shouldn’t have been. A child goes missing and finding her son takes most of this movie, and your patience.
BRIDGERTON. Netflix series. (7.4 IMDB) The very definition of a British costume drama. But this is no Downtown Abbey and contains only stereotypes of high court characters. Julie Andrews is in it, if you wait long enough. It’s interesting and possible that there really were that many races represented in the British courts at that time or is it the film makers attempt to stage racial balance?
BETTER THAN US. Netflix series. (7.3 IMDB) This is a Russian attempt at a science fiction/ robot/ sex / half serious comment on where high tech will be taking us in the near future. A “female” robot vanishes and the search and her relationships are the crux of the plot. Interesting but not necessary.
DARK MATTER. Apple series (7.4 IMDB) Yes indeed, another space bending, time warping 9 episode distraction. This one stars Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly. There’s a robbery he gets beat up then he gets reborn backwards 14 months and 10 days in his life. He made and remakes mistakes and so do many other characters in their new growth decisions, but it’s not all that bad. Go for it.
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY. Netflix series. (6.4 IMDB) A beautiful 19 year old daughter gets raped by a 40 year old guy. Turns out he’s not such a bad guy except that he gets murdered and she gets accused. Her parents and many friends and you too, will defend her. The ending is a surprise. It’s enticing, engrossing, and it has just a few gaps in the telling of the plot but watch it at your earliest convenience.
THE HIJACKING OF FLIGHT 601. Netflix Series (6.7 IMDB) This is a thriller from Columbia and it’ll keep you attached for all 6 episodes. It’s based about 80% on the true story of that high jacking of a passenger plane in the 1970’s. It’s full of government officials, much airline hostess’s activity and genuine well developed suspense. They manage to portray a lot of politics and the evils of huge sums of money and be sure to allow yourselves enough time to watch all 6 of the series because you’ll care which side wins.
REPTILE. Netflix movie. (6.8 IMDB) Benicio Del Toro is near perfect as the detective who works full time and near silent investigating the murder (cruel stabbing) of a housewife. Real Estate plays a background setting as Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone do only halfhearted acting in their fill in parts.
MIDSUMMER NIGHT. Netflix series. (6.7 IMDB) Set in Norway this celebrates Midsummer Night which is the longest night of the year. (news to me!) It’s contemporary and they use their cell phones a lot. Lots of sex involved here and some of it is surprising because it’s between and older male and a young babe. You’ll probably up thinking about your own morals and their validity. Go for it.
Gillian will be back with more soon!
| Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild. |
A 16 STORY BUILDING ON NORTH PACIFIC AVENUE?
Applications for super-tall buildings in the City of Santa Cruz are springing up right and left. On March 4, the day before voters went to the polls to decide whether Measure M would let people vote on building heights in the City, Workbench developers submitted a pre-application under SB 330 for a large project at North Pacific that includes two versions…an eight-story building and a 16-story building. Under SB 330, the City cannot require the project to implement any new building codes made after the date the pre-application is deemed complete.
Sit down before you take a look at what this could look like…
“One of the projects includes an eight-story mixed-use development encompassing approximately 120,932 square feet, including 174 residential apartment units, 8,184 square feet of commercial tenant space, and 29,884 square feet of on-site parking. A conceptual rendering is shown below. The other project includes a sixteen-story mixed-use development encompassing approximately 279,480 square feet, including 260 residential apartment units, 11,126 square feet of commercial tenant space, and 29,884 square feet of onsite parking.
Both projects include a merger of two adjacent lots (2020 N. Pacific Ave. and 113/115 Knight St.) and demolition of the existing commercial buildings and would require the use of Density Bonuses.”
SB 330, the Housing Accountability Act, is in effect until January 1, 2025.
It prohibits a local agency from disapproving any housing development project for very low, low, or moderate-income residents or an emergency shelter or conditioning approval in a manner that renders “infeasible” unless the local agency makes specified written findings based on a preponderance of the evidence in the record.
What is a preponderance of evidence? That is often determined by the court. SB 330 requires a court to impose a fine on a local agency under certain circumstances and requires that the fine be at least $10,000 per housing unit in the development project on the date the application was deemed complete. This could happen if the local agency attempts to reduce the density as a condition of project approval after the pre-application is deemed compliant with SB 330
This bill, until January 1, 2025, would specify that an application is deemed complete for these purposes if a preliminary application was submitted
MAYBE FOUR NEW HOUSING UNITS IN YOUR BACKYARD WITH ONLY A FOUR FOOT SETBACK?
The State is mandating quick, dense development under SB 9, and requires Counties and Cities to approve them ministerially, without any public hearings. It allows lot splits so that instead of one single family home, there could be up to four 800-1200 SF homes, with zero to one parking place included.
Santa Cruz County is moving quickly to adopt new Senate Bill 9 Ordinance to comply, but at what cost to our Communities and the environment? This new Ordinance would be effective in all Urban Census areas of the County, not confined to the Urban Services Line, and includes broad areas of the San Lorenzo Valley, Corralitos, Soquel, La Selva Beach and Seascape. Take a look at the map on page 24…I think you will be amazed.
This week, County planning staff presented a Zoom webinar to take public comments and questions about what is proposed. People asked about inadequate definitions of “coastal bluff” and questioned why the County is moving forward on adopting this now when the relative state mandate could soon change with passage of SB 450, causing the County to again amend the Coastal Development Plan of the General Plan.
“This bill would remove the authorization for a local agency to deny a proposed housing development if the building official makes a written finding that the proposed housing development project would have a specific, adverse impact upon the physical environment. The bill would require the local agency to consider and approve or deny the proposed housing development application within 60 days from the date the local agency receives the completed application, and would deem the application approved after that time. The bill would require a permitting agency, if it denies an application, to provide a full set of comments to the applicant with a list of items that are defective or deficient and a description of how the application can be remedied by the applicant.” [Bill Text: CA SB450]
Some wanted to know if the City of Redondo Beach, etal vs. Rob Bonta, in which the Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled SB 9 is unconstitutional relating to charter cities and counties, could apply to Santa Cruz County?
Superior Court Ruling: Charter Cities Not Subject to SB 9
The planners dismissed any effect this landmark case would have here, because Santa Cruz County is not a Home Rule, aka charter, county. What they did not mention, even when I commented that I would like the County to pursue becoming a charter county to retain local land use control, is that it is possible to amend a County’s organization and become a charter county.
This new proposed Ordinance will be soon coming before the County Planning Commission, and then the Board of Supervisors. Read this proposal carefully and weigh-in now because it could literally change densities in your Community, affecting evacuation route safety, biological communities and traffic where you live…not to mention the general quality of life.
PRISONERS AND STAFF AT ROUNTREE DETENTION CENTER SHOULD HAVE BOTTLED WATER
Would you want to drink water with elevated carcinogen levels known to exist? I wouldn’t, and I don’t think it is humane to force prisoners at the Rountree Detention Center in Watsonville to drink such water.
The County Water Advisory Commission, after hearing a presentation by the Director of County General Services, Mr. Michael Beaton, describing the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium and PFAS elevated contamination levels present in the well water serving the prisoners and staff at Rountree, sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors, recommending bottled water be provided until the proposed treatment plant is operational.
At budget hearings last week, I reminded the Board of this Commission recommendation during the Sheriff Dept. budget consideration. Sheriff Hart seemed annoyed, stating that he got a letter saying the well water was fine. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Beaton quickly stepped up to the podium and said “the water at Rountree is safe to drink.” The Board approved the budget without any request for contamination level reports or bottled water for the staff and prisoners at Rountree.
Therefore, it is curious that the State is awarding the County a $800,000 grant to treat the water at Rountree, as is shown in the Consent Agenda item #32 for the June 4 Regular Meeting.
A SMOOTH PATH THROUGH PARADISE OR A HELL OF A ROAD
Why are the roads in Santa Cruz County in such bad shape and what can be done to improve the problem? The 2023-2024 County Grand Jury Reports are now beginning to become public, and include an investigation and findings regarding the poor state of the roads here.
There needs to be more focus on mismanagement of existing funds, and the fact that the County Public Works no longer does much preventive maintenance, such as oil and screen to seal badly-cracked pavement to preserve it from further degradation. This is included, in part, in the findings:
The County of Santa Cruz has failed to perform resurfacing maintenance on many of the smaller unincorporated local roads, resulting in higher failure rates and at least a 10 times increased maintenance cost when and if those roads are resurfaced.
The County prioritizes preventive maintenance of roads in fair to good condition over road repair and reconstruction due to limited discretionary funds. As a result, many residents in local road areas will have to contend with very poor/failed roads into the foreseeable future
Measure K funds go directly into the General Fund and road maintenance funding expenditures are only recommended. This may allow the funding to go to other needs.
Recommendation:
The Grand Jury recommends that the DPW complete a public report by December 31, 2024 which shows the prioritization of culvert and drainage ditch maintenance in order to help prevent road washouts that are more costly to repair.
Maybe it would be better to replace old culverts with sturdy metal bridge crossings, such as what I recently saw in Washington state, and that reminded me of a reasonable and quick repair of a culvert failure on Nelson Road in Scotts Valley, which used an old railroad flatcar placed upon concrete abutments.
GOOD NEWS, THANKS TO THE SANTA CRUZ SIERRA CLUB EFFORTS!
Thanks to the persistent efforts of the Santa Cruz Sierra Club group and members of the Santa Cruz Bird Club, the protected migratory Cliff Swallows on the Laurel Street Bridge will be spared from Soquel Creek Water District’s disruptive construction crews working there until the birds have completed their nesting season under the Bridge.
On May 20, Ms. Melanie Mow-Schumacher, the District’s Assistant General Manager, finally responded to Mr. Guth’s letters imploring the PureWater Soquel Project pipeline attachment work on the Bridge be postponed during the summer to protect the federally-protected migratory Cliff Swallow nesting activity. Last year, the District paid no heed and the number of bird mud nests under the Bridge plummeted.
Good work, Sierra Club and Santa Cruz Bird Club stewards! Thank heavens, Soquel Creek Water District finally paid attention…
Sent via email:
May 20, 2024
Michael Guth, Executive Committee Chair
Sierra Club, Santa Cruz County Group of the Ventana Chapter
PO Box 604
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Subject: Laurel Street Bridge/Pure Water Soquel Conveyance Project
Dear Mr. Guth,
Thank you for your letter dated May 8, 2024. We appreciate Sierra Club’s recent observations regarding the
presence of cliff swallow nesting under the Laurel Street Bridge. This is consistent with our biologist’s
observations.
Work associated with the pipeline and architectural cover on the bridge have not been conducted since April
24, 2024. Further, this work on the bridge will not commence until after the nesting season (anticipated
through August 31, 2024).
On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your interest.
Sincerely,
Melanie Mow Schumacher, PE
Assistant General Manager/ Pure Water Soquel Program Director
IS IT SAFE TO WALK IN APTOS VILLAGE?
Many thanks to my friend, Al, for sending this survey to help determine what can be done to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety in Aptos Village. Take this survey and provide your suggestions for making it safer to walk and bicycle in Aptos Village.
This project is a disaster for pedestrians and cyclists. The County disregarded the RTC Bicycle Committee early recommendation to put bike lanes on Aptos Village Way to link Aptos Creek Road and Trout Gulch Road, and instead allowed an extremely narrow roadway with the on-street parking numbers included to meet the parking requirement for the development.
Recently, I learned that the existing parking on Aptos Creek Road will soon disappear as the Phase 2 Aptos Village Project development gets built.
And where is that active recreation area that was a Condition of Approval for Swenson’s greenlight to destroy Aptos Village? It’s the steep hillside…for which County Parks has absolutely no idea what to do.
Well, take this pedestrian survey and let the Seacliff Improvement Association know your thoughts. It is open until July 15, 2024.
FIRE DEFENSIBLE SPACE SAVED THIS HOME IN SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Deputy Fire Marshal Tony Akin at Central Fire Protection District sent this video to encourage all living in the wildland-urban interface to pay attention and create fire defensible space now.
Our landlines may not be safe with this decision.
Is your Community a FireWise Community yet? There are 55+ so far in Santa Cruz County. Learn how to work together with your neighbors to become certified, and earn reductions in your insurance rates.
AT&T MAY HAVE ABILITY TO DITCH COPPER LANDLINES ANYWAY?
Many thanks to Nina Beety in Monterey County for this thoughtul analysis of the recent CPUC ruling on the AT&T application to drop copper landline telephone service:
“The proposed ruling in fact explicitly mentions this does not in any way preclude AT&T from phasing out copper and, for example, replacing it with fiber (“POTS over fiber”). That fulfills their obligation to offer regulated phone service to anyone. Two separate things. AT&T is required to provide phone service in its service area, but that is not required to be over copper and the CPUC clarified that to avoid any possible confusion.
If you mean copper landlines specifically, from a regulatory/legal perspective, not much, unfortunately. Neither the FCC nor the PUC has any mandates that they provide phone service over copper. In fact, they have acted to remove such mandates and requirements regarding copper retirement and transitions.
AT&T could provide “POTS over fiber” service, but has not done this to the same extent that Verizon has, which has done this aggressively in most metropolitan areas in its service territory the Northeast. It’s possible that AT&T doesn’t have plans to move copper customers to fiber unless it can get rid of its regulated service obligations altogether, in which case they have unnecessarily correlated the two, to the benefit of consumers.”
Please read the proposed decision.
Our landlines may not be safe with this decision.
POSITIVE THINKING REALLY MATTERS
It is easy to get discouraged by the events of the world, state and local government, but I encourage you all to keep a positive outlook, and keep participating in the wave of citizen-led efforts that will make a difference, and to fight for the things that matter to you most in your life.
A recent Merriam-Webster ‘Word of the Day” was a good one…
Meliorism
Meliorism refers to the belief that the world tends to improve and that humans can aid its betterment.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC HEARING AND ASK QUESTIONS AND EXPECT ANSWERS.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING ONE THING.
Cheers,
Becky
|
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes. She ran again in 2020 on a slightly bigger shoestring and got 1/3 of the votes.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com |
Protecting Our Most Precious Spots
The most highly protected terrestrial areas around California’s Monterey Bay are designated as “Natural Preserves” by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and as “Ecological Reserves” by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Let’s explore where those places are, and how the State’s premier land management agencies are directed to protect areas with these designations.
CDFW Ecological Reserves
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) manages 1.1 million acres of land in California. Unfortunately, CDFW does not publish summary statistics about how many of those acres are designated as Ecological Reserves, which have the highest protection of any state-owned public lands, as reflected in the following regulatory language:
“….ecological reserves are maintained for the primary purpose of …..protection of rare, threatened, or endangered native plants, wildlife, aquatic organisms, and specialized terrestrial or aquatic habitat types. Visitor uses are dependent upon the provisions of applicable laws and upon a determination by the commission that opening an area to such visitor use is compatible with the purposes of the property.” (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14 § 630 Additional Visitor Use Regulations on Department Lands Designated as Ecological Reserves).
Note the stress on maintaining these properties for species and habitat conservation, first and foremost. And note that it takes a vote by the California Fish and Game Commission to allow any visitors to use those properties. Any such vote must be supported by an analysis of the impacts of such visitation on the species and/or habitats that the Ecological Reserve was designated to protect.
Local Ecological Reserves
The two CDFW Ecological Reserves that people regularly visit around the Monterey Bay are the Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve and the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve. The two other CDFW Ecological Reserves do not allow public access without special permission: Quail Hollow and Watsonville Slough.
The Elkhorn Slough regularly has many visitors. The Fish and Game Commission appears to have at some point voted to approve visitor use at that property. However, a Commission-approved Elkhorn Ecological Reserve Management Plan outlining how visitor use is compatible with the conservation purposes of the property is not readily available. So, unfortunately, I can’t tell you what ‘conservation purposes’ were designated when the property was afforded such a high level of protection.
The other CDFW Ecological Reserve that the public visits is much more definitely legally off limits despite CDFW’s allowance for visitor use. In contravention to the regulation cited above, CDFW has allowed public use despite the Fish and Game Commission never having approved a management plan analyzing the compatibility of visitor use and protection of the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve. And there is no publicly available documentation about what ‘conservation purposes’ were designated when the property was designated as an Ecological Reserve.
State Parks Natural Preserves
The California Department of Parks and Recreation manages 1.6 million acres of land. As with CDFW, Parks does not publish how many acres are designated as Natural Preserves. Natural Preserves have the highest protection of any State Parks managed lands, as reflected in the following policy language:
“… natural preserves will be established to give full protection to environmental and ecological integrity, from the standpoints of watershed influences, scenic and visual unity, cultural values, and other appropriate environmental factors.
Developments in natural preserves are limited to trails and interpretive facilities required to make possible the visual and sensory enjoyment of the resources by visitors. Vehicle access and parking are not appropriate; visitor centers, restrooms, structures, and facilities other than signs shall be placed outside natural preserves.
Bicycles are allowed only on paved roads in…Natural Preserves.”
Note the language, as with CDFW, stressing the primary importance of these State Parks areas for ecological conservation, and how Parks adds to this designation watershed processes and areas of cultural significance.
Local Natural Preserves
There are 5 Monterey Bay spots with State Parks Natural Preserve designation: Wilder Beach Natural Preserve (small, Wilder Ranch State Park); San Lorenzo Headwaters Natural Preserve (1800 acres, Castle Rock State Park); Theodore Hoover Natural Preserve (23 acres, Big Basin State Park); Año Nuevo Coast Natural Preserve (925 acres, Año Nuevo State Park), and; Point Lobos State Natural Preserve (550 acres). A large portion of the Año Nuevo Coast Natural Preserve has restricted public access and there is no public access allowed at Wilder Beach. The other spots allow public access, but, as noted in the above policies, no one is allowed to leave trails in areas with this designation, and bicycles are not permitted except on paved roads.
One Natural Preserve is missing from State Park’s list: the one that was to be designated for the coastal prairies in upper Wilder Ranch. During the process of approving use of that part of the park, Parks was discussing designation of vast areas of the diverse grasslands as a Natural Preserve. However, it turned out that Parks never updated the Wilder Ranch General Plan and so didn’t pursue such a designation, possibly due to opposition from mountain bikers.
How Are They Doing?
Many people reading this will be familiar with at least some of the areas listed above, places afforded the highest levels of conservation protection. For each spot, ask yourself: how are the managers doing? Do those areas seem to be better managed for conservation than other places? In the case of Wilder Beach, are snowy plovers nesting there…do people get away with trespassing there? In the case of the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve, is visitor use truly compatible with protecting the many species and habitats, which includes the most endangered ecosystem in North America? How can we tell these stories and help the managers elevate these very special places to give them the protection they deserve?
|
Grey Hayes is a fervent speaker for all things wild, and his occupations have included land stewardship with UC Natural Reserves, large-scale monitoring and strategic planning with The Nature Conservancy, professional education with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and teaching undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz. Visit his website at: www.greyhayes.net
Email Grey at coastalprairie@aol.com |
#158 / Taking Some Advice From Ben
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that “AI Employees Hesitate to Speak Up.” I am linking the article, by Alyssa Lukpat, to a statement of the headline as that headline appeared in the hard copy edition of the paper. You will get a slightly different headline (but the same article) if you click that link and are then able to penetrate what is likely to be a paywall, protecting The Journal’s intellectual property rights.
The basic story is as follows: A number of leading AI researchers believe that the companies developing AI (including OpenAI) are not taking enough steps to make sure that this new technology doesn’t become what the researchers believe might be an existential danger. These researchers are frustrated because the companies they are working for are constraining their ability to speak out, by employing “non-disclosure” and “non-disparagement” provisions in their employment contracts. Considering what’s at stake, this limit on free discussion carries a huge risk, according to these researchers.
Here’s a key quote from the article: “Some AI researchers believe the technology could grow out of control and become as dangerous as pandemics and nuclear war.” A number of these researchers, including Geoffrey Hinton (whom I have mentioned before), have recently authored a letter, laying out their concerns.
One statement in the article particularly caught my attention, and that statement has stimulated my comment here: “OpenAI said in response to the letter … that it agrees there should be government regulation.”
Well, this seems fine, and a step in the right direction – at least theoretically. Our government is supposed to “represent” the public, and the public interest, and so when the government “regulates” private and corproate activities, that should be something that benefits the public, and that would help protect the public from the kind of dangers that the AI researchers are worried about.
However….. it has surely not escaped your attention that “our” government has become largely subservient to the interests of the very same corporations whom the concerned researchers are saying need to be regulated.
I feel very certain – I am just positive – that this fact has not escaped your attention.
So, what to do? Aren’t we just kind of stuck? What can be done about this situation? Giant corporations are working at full speed to develop a technology that many of those most informed believe could end up being as bad as pandemics and nuclear war, and essentially lead to the end of human life on Earth. These corporations are also attempting to suppress any real understanding of the dangers, and our government, which should be helping to protect the public, is actually controlled by those very same giant corporations.
As I have just said, “What to do?” If my description of our situation is accurate, one might well think that the statement by OpenAI, that it supports “government regulation,” is an artful effort to avoid any significant impediment to what it is doing and wants to do, and that the company hopes will make it boatloads of money.
I think there is a clue about what to do in the word “our.” Theoretically, “our” government is working for the public. In fact, it is working for the giant corporations and the extremely rich. You may remember a relatively recent blog posting of mine, titled, “Signature Lines.” That blog posting considered the following question, and then made the observation I am displaying below:
“Why do the rich have so much power?”
“The rich have so much power because the rest of us don’t use our own.”
“Our” government is only theoretically “ours.” Many, many more of us need to become deeply engaged in the political activities that ultimately create the world in which we most immediately live.
Time allocation! That’s what I am talking about.
Getting organized! That’s what I am talking about.
If we spend more time watching Netflix and playing computer games than we do engaging in the immensely interesting and productive job of making “our” government actually work for and represent all of us, it is no surprise that “our” government isn’t actually “ours,” at all.
People can beat money. But only with their time!
“Time is money,” remember that one? I know you do! To employ a style popularized by Bob Dylan, as I reference that “Time is money” quotation: “Ben Franklin said that.”
That Ben Franklin guy was pretty smart. So, let’s put that lesson to work! We will never have “self-government” if we are not directly, and significantly, involved in government ourselves.
I can testify. I know it works!
|
Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com |
HO, HO, HO CHI MINH, APOLOGIZING TO MIERS, PRISON BE BEST
Wow!…that was a close one for the GOP! The RNC website ran an ad for the upcoming convention to be held in Milwaukee, WI on July 15…only problem being that the imagery featured Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Maybe they meant to use a Hanoi image, or even one of Pyongyang? Kim Jong Il would probably welcome Trump and his minions since they developed such a cozy relationship during The Don’s presidency…they “fell in love” according to the record…and who can forget the “love letters” kept by Don, interspersed with classified documents, as he fled to Mar-a-Lago in 2021? After the press pointed it out, the RNC website was quickly changed to the proper host city, but Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show’ had to have his chance to run a spoof ad, using his Trumpy voiceover, saying, “From the Capitol building to the White House, we’ll celebrate the wall on our southern border,” as imagery of the Taj Mahal, a White Castle Restaurant, and the Great Wall of China crossed the screen. The Boston Globe ran a screenshot of the RNC’s error, gleaning 598,000 views and 3,700 Likes. The Wisconsin Democratic Party posted on Xwitter an edited shot of a t-shirt reading, “I attended 2024 RNC convention in Milwaukee, WI, USA,” with the location Xed out and replaced with “Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.” Dems chairperson, Ben Wikler, posted, “It appears that Trump’s RNC is unfamiliar with the location of Milwaukee, WI.” Upon correcting the imagery on the ad, the RNC claims the photo came from a web developer who is no longer on the payroll. Wondering if Trump is refusing them payment for their efforts?
The former president is expected to be nominated at the convention four days after his sentencing in the hush money/falsified business records case…guilty on 34 felony counts…add ’em up! RNC chair Michael Whatley says the convention is planning for the possibility of Trump sitting in jail during this Grand Old Party party, and as he told Newsmax’s ‘Wake Up America,’ “I’m actually going to Milwaukee, and we’re going to have a series of conversations.” One would certainly hope so! And wake up that fly on the wall who can relay the details!
Jimmy Fallon feels that Melania Trump is not doing “fine” as husband Don stated after his New York guilty verdict. Fallon said, “Trump indicates Melania is doing fine, but that this hush money trial has been hard on her, and you know Melania is boiling because whenever your spouse says, ‘I’m fine,’ they’re most definitely not fine,” adding, “If you want to show her your support, send her a message on any of the five dating apps she just joined. The big question now is whether Trump will get jail time or house arrest. If he’s sentenced to jail, Melania will be inside the courtroom chanting ‘four more years!’ Trump will be sentenced on July 11, and his lawyers told him, ‘You should get your affairs in order,’ to which he replied, ‘That’s what got me in trouble in the first place!'” In a similar vein, Andy Borowitz writes, “Writing an impassioned letter to Judge Juan Merchan, Melania Trump argued that sentencing her husband to house arrest would mean cruel and unusual punishment for her,’ arguing further, ‘…that confining her husband to any place where she resides would be a clear violation ‘not only of the US Constitution, but of the Geneva Conventions. Your honor, you can prevent a humanitarian crisis. The human I speak of is me.'” Andy ends by writing, “Suggesting an appropriate sentence for her felonious husband, Mrs. Trump wrote, ‘Prison be best.'”
In a recent conversation with the toadies of ‘Fox and Friends,’ Trump was asked, “What’s your relationship with God like, and how do you pray?” His reply from left field (right field?) was, “OK, so I think it is good. I do very well with the evangelicals. I love the evangelicals. And I have more people saying they pray for me – I can’t even believe it. They are so committed, and they are so believing. They say, ‘Sir, you’re going to be OK. I pray for you every night.’ I mean, everybody, almost – I can’t say everybody, but almost everybody that sees me, they say it.” MSNBC host, Joe Scarborough, had to laugh uproariously, afterwards saying, “Just go to church…once! It’s beyond parody…sad!” Joe’s co-host, Willie Geist, says Trump should carry around a few printouts of Bible passages to recite for the ‘right‘ occasion. But although Trump missed the point of the question, or avoided it deliberately, he is doing something right in courting the religious right, by calling out his multiple prosecutions as persecutions. The New York Times reports that he now finishes some rallies with a devout closing…“The great silent majority is rising like never before and under our leadership. We will pray to God for our strength and for our liberty. We will pray for God, and we will pray with God. We are one movement, one people, one family, and one glorious nation under God.” Let us pray that his Teleprompter doesn’t start waffling.
Stuart and Dickinson, in Rolling Stone magazine, write of Justice Samuel Alito speaking at the Supreme Court Historical Society, of the ideological battle of the left facing off with the right, concerned about the hardship of existing “peacefully” in the face of “fundamental” differences that “can’t be compromised.” In a discussion he agreed that it is necessary to fight to “return our country to a place of godliness,” with the final resolution being that, “One side or the other is going to win.” The duo writes that Alito’s comments make no attempt to present himself as neutral, but as a partisan, as a “member of a hard-right judicial faction that’s empowered to make life-altering decisions for every American.” Interviewed by documentary film maker, Lauren Windsor, posing as a religious conservative, Alito says “there are fundamentals that can’t be compromised…so, it’s not like you’re going to split the difference.” Interviewing Chief Justice John Roberts, Windsor found that he differs with the opinion that the nation is polarized, believing that the Court is experiencing nothing new historically. He argues that it isn’t the Court’s obligation to get the country onto a more “moral path,” believing it’s for the people we elect to office…not lawyers. Roberts disagrees that the high court should be “guiding us in that path” toward being a “Christian nation,” mentioning his “Jewish and Muslim friends,” adding, “It’s not our job to do that. It’s our job to decide the cases as best we can.” Windsor is putting together a documentary entitled ‘Gonzo for Democracy,’ dealing with the Trumpism phenomena of election denial and religious extremism. In the words of Don Pardo, “Watch for it next time…if there is a next time!”
Elie Mystal in a recent piece in The Nation, writes that she owes an apology to Harriet Miers who was first nominated to the Supreme Court by George W. Bush, with Samuel Alito as a second choice. She describes Miers as a Bush crony and sycophant, who was criticized by everyone as a partisan hack who would be in step with all that Bush and the GOP wanted done. Coming from Texas to be deputy chief of staff, before being White House counsel, she was one of Bush’s closest friends, a born-again evangelical, and a good friend of Condoleeza Rice. Mystal says that “Miers was nominated because she spent most of her public career…in service to Bush. And she treated Bush, the bumbling oaf and war criminal, with a saccharine level of sycophancy.” Her nontraditional experience didn’t meet up with the GOP’s idea of a Supreme Court Justice, particularly the more conservative bloc who felt she was unreliable as a vote against abortion, offering no proof that she would reject court precedents. Republicans wanted a candidate who was willing to reject precedent and produce the right-white outcomes, instead of one who would uphold the law. Enter the Federalist Society and Samuel Alito. In Mystal’s view, the world has been worse every day since, though she doesn’t necessarily think Miers would have been a good choice. She writes that Alito is the most partisan justice on the high court…Clarence Thomas is only the most corrupt, Neil Gorsuch is the most dangerous to society’s functioning, and Brett Kavanaugh the most attempted-rapey. FoxNews has picked Alito to fashion their talking points into national laws…and to fly his flags high. Mystal’s argument that the GOP rejection of Miers was “the precise moment the party was lost to MAGA, laying the groundwork for the antidemocratic authoritarianism now in our foreground…cultism came to the Supreme Court before it arrived anywhere else in government. I’ve learned that you’re always better off going with the person who loves what you hate, instead of the person who hates what you love. The former might create something you find appalling, but the latter will only destroy that which you find most precious.”
Rob Boston, Senior Advisor at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, calls the placement of a statue of the Reverend Billy Graham by the state of North Carolina an undeserved honor. Though it does replace the removed statue of a former White Supremacist governor, he thinks it is a misguided decision. He feels Graham was uniquely positioned to bring Americans together during a painful, divisive time, but lacked the courage or vision to do so, despite his popularity and fame as an evangelist for his particular form of fundamentalist Christianity. His antisemitic comments and crusading against LGBTQ+ equality evoked the pain caused by unjust social norms, yet he “was unwilling to break with the White status quo,” writes Anthea Butler, author of ‘White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America.’ “He bemoans racism as a sin, yet offered only small, cosmetic adjustments to change the ethos…characteristic waffling.”
Trumper Steve Bannon is finally going to prison for contempt of Congress…for four months. Not long enough in the eyes of many, but long enough for him to miss the remainder of the 2024 election cycle, putting a serious damper on his ability to carry out whatever election antics he was hoping for, says Bocha Blue and Bill Palmer of The Palmer Report. One thing he won’t be able to do is line his pockets from his podcast crowd, being locked away without his mic and camera. Blue says, “So Bannon would have been smarter to just serve his four month sentence back when he was convicted and get it over with. It’s the latest reminder that Bannon is very much the opposite of smart. He’s a guy who digs himself a hole, then labels himself savvy for crawling out of it, and somehow gets the media (on both sides) to portray him as a political genius. But the larger point here is that this is just the beginning for Bannon. He’s also set to go on criminal trial in New York for his ‘build the wall’ scam…Bannon is likely to be convicted in his NY trial. It’s centered on the kinds of serious felonies that come with multi-year prison sentences…In other words Bannon is now on track to go from Federal prison, to criminal trial, to state prison…if Trump were somehow to win in November, he wouldn’t be able pardon Bannon on state charges. He’s seventy years old and seemingly in poor health, so he may never get out.”
Andy Borowitz, on his The Borowitz Report, writes, “Panic gripped the nation’s prison guards on Thursday as they reacted to the prospect of body-searching Steve Bannon. The thought of interacting with the naked Bannon had many in the guard community rethinking their careers, insiders confirmed. ‘I’ve been living in fear of this day,’ Frank Klugian, a veteran correctional officer, said. ‘I knew it was bad news the minute I heard Mrs. Alito was flying her flag upside down again.’ Harland Dorrinson, the warden of the penitentiary that will be receiving Bannon, said that ‘every protection’ will be provided those carrying out the procedure, including, obviously, hazmat suits.” Who will get Trump’s prayers in this instance?
|
Dale Matlock, a Santa Cruz County resident since 1968, is the former owner of The Print Gallery, a screenprinting establishment. He is an adherent of The George Vermosky school of journalism, and a follower of too many news shows, newspapers, and political publications, and a some-time resident of Moloka’i, Hawaii, U.S.A., serving on the Board of Directors of Kepuhi Beach Resort. Email: cornerspot14@yahoo.com. |
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. View classic inner-view ideas and thoughts with Subconscious Comics a few flips down.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Deep Cover” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
“Pride”
“It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.”
~Laverne Cox
“Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, because we were born this way.”
~Lady Gaga
“There will not be a magic day when we wake up and it’s now okay to express ourselves publicly. We make that day by doing things publicly until it’s simply the way things are.”
~Tammy Baldwin
“Darling, I want my gay rights now.”
~Marsha P. Johnson
“Of course, attitudes change, but only because brave people like Ellen [DeGeneres] jump into the fire to make them change. And if I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought, ‘I could never be on TV. They don’t let LGBT people on TV.’ And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe didn’t even have a right to be here.”
~Kate McKinnon
|
Check out this restoration of a moldy watercolor painting! It’s unbelievable what can be accomplished with some patience… |
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
Cell phone: 831 212-3273
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
