As my buddy and I sat outside Peet's, on our 17th or 18th "Spare The Air Day" we experienced what must qualify as a "World Class/Guinness Book of Records" optical illusion, or maybe it was a mirage.  As we raised our eyes to the sky, squinting into the bright blue sky, even with sunglasses we found we could read the registration numbers on the balloons wafting their way south from up valley.  Probably between 1500 and 2000', but wait, as our eyes continued upward, we found ourselves counting contrails of the out-bound traffic from Oakland Airport, probably at about 20,000 +/- at this point.  But how could this be???  The little pointy headed, parasitic, non elected bureaucrats from Air Quality Control told us we were covered by a disgusting brown/yellow layer of SMOG which would send us all to the hospital in full respiratory arrest, and even televised pictures of the air over Richmond and Benicia refineries, and of the 80/680/880/280 interchange at the Bay Bridge to "prove" their point.  Would the government lie to us??  Of course not, they just use selective numbers and extrapolate it across nine counties. Remember when you first heard that "figures don't lie, but liars can figure"?  

Come on people wake up!  Are we so caught up in our own little world of Face Book, Twitter, and whatever the latest fad is now, we are going to allow these non-elected role riders to lead us around by nose rings like a lobotomized herd of lemmings?  Several weeks ago the Register carried a news article quoting a former employee of "Big Bother of All Things Air" in which, in a role which I suppose qualifies him as a "Whistle Blower"  he alleges they (Big Brother) are in essence, cookin' the books.  Is anyone surprised by this allegation?  Non-elected bureaucrats have to work even harder than our elected pols at keeping their jobs. If they don't continually expand by convincing you they have a real job, someone might decide, or is it realize, they're superfluous?    Some of you must remember several years ago when there was a move afoot to ban all wood burning. Fortunately, reason prevailed, however, like any good entrenched cabal of those feeding at the public trough, they just found another way.  Since they can't get a total ban, they'll just have to get along by declaring "no burn days" one day at a time.  Besides now, they'll have to expand their fiefdom by hiring more role riders to write no burn day press releases and certainly someone to set up a computer program to store their press releases, daily day counts, and fudged figures.  What next?  A task force to decide on an alphabetical list  of gender neutral, politically correct names for each declared day?  Have to make room for that in the new computer program too.

One last thing. In today's paper, side by side, were two articles. The first notes a "Red Flag Warming" has been issued because of high winds and high fire danger.  The second declares another "No Burn Day" because of stagnant air.  Can someone explain, with a straight face, how you can have high winds and stagnant air at the same time in the same place??   Isn't there one lawyer out there who is hungry enough to pull together a class action suit and lance this boil on the publics' posterior before it gets any sorer?

You can't imagine how Sincerely,

Charlie Kampton

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

Vol. 1  No.10

Gi'me, gi'me, gi'me.  Seems'  like that has become our national mantra.  Listening to a call in radio show the other day the caller was adamant  he was "entitled" to health care, it was "owed" to him. The host tried to explain the caller was "entitled" to earn his health care, he was "entitled" to get the best deal he could for his money, but he was not "entitled" to have it given to him at the expense of some poor guy who chose to work hard, make a few bucks, and then have the Feds pick his pocket to buy the vote of the parasite. 

I've been around for quite awhile now and I can't help but feel really sad for the future of our country when somehow  the pride we took in accomplishment  has been replaced by the pride we now take in what we can get for free. Of course, nothing is "free".  Whatever Uncle Sugar hands out he either (1) took from someone who had earned it, or (2) he adds to the national debt which eventually will be taken from our children or more likely, our grandchildren.  The people of this country were always giving and charitable and more than ready to help the family down on their luck or a victim or circumstances.  A true man would do any kind of work to avoid having to take charity for himself or his family, and if he had to take a handout, he was more than willing to find a way to pay it back.

We were all taught "all men are created equal", unfortunately, the teacher never really explained that  didn't mean we were all entitled to Maserati's.  It meant we were entitled to use our talents to the best of our ability, and if we were good enough to afford a Maserati, buy it.  If I take my height and weight and compare to some professional football players, we're  created equal. But, it you look at the results of what came from starting equal in the crib, you see that personal choice, effort and dedication resulted in two markedly different results. One, a finely tuned, chiseled athlete, and me, play dough.  Do I deserve the pay check of a pro athlete? Of course not. Would I like the pay check of a pro, of course. But the people in hell would like ice water, too.  But they probably earned their place in hell, I earned my morphology, and the pro earned his Maserati, Lear Jet and Malibu hideaway.  Just to lighten up a bit here, as I write about "all men being created equal" I can't get the line from an old Andy Griffith routine that went something like, "anybody who thinks all men are created equal has never been in an army shower room."

About once every other day some politician, or some non elected functionary who feeds at the public trough, feel the need to show their reason for being and they bring up "affordable housing".  When I hear that phrase being bandied about, I  have to wonder, just what is "affordable housing"?  To me, it's what you can afford to buy with your own resources.  When I came to Napa some years ago, I had a nice little nest egg in my pocket from selling my home back east. However, when I started shopping houses, I  quickly found out there were neighborhoods in Napa that my nest egg couldn't touch.  When I finally did find a house I could buy, it became my "affordable housing".  Nobody owes you a house, if you can't make the down payment, can't afford the mortgage payment, what right do you have to expect someone else to grub stake you?  There is always a balance between what you can earn and what you can afford, and it's up to you to tip the scale in your favor.  There's an air of arrogance which begins to slip in to any discussion when someone feels an entitlement to the fruits of someone else's labor.  My Dad came to this country as a twelve year old, non English speaking immigrant, and by the sweat of his brow and a killer work schedule, raised a family, owned several businesses, put two of us through college and never took a dime of charity and left no debts upon his death.  He frequently would say, "you don't work, you don't eat."  Words to live by.

I've always been mystified by those people who line up to get some sort of a stipend from the government, (read taxpayer) and then scream discrimination when it's suggested they should have to pass a drug test for they get a handout, choosing to ignore the fact that the guy busting his hump, whose tax money they've got their hands out for, in all likelihood had to pee in that little bottle before he got the job that supports both he and his family and the free loaders. The only discrimination here is against the worker who has no choice but to pony up for the benefit of some parasite working the system.  Quite frankly I have more respect for the trustee prisoners out grooming out highways. At least they are contributing  something which benefits the community.  In fact, I'd go along with one more bureaucrat roll rider, if he/she were responsible  for seeing that there were no handouts without community service first.  I bet that would take some of the fun out of working the system. 

More learned scholars than I have asked the rhetorical question, "what happens when you run out of other people's money to give away?"

We need to stop being a town, state, country of enablers who create a permanent underclass by subsidizing non or under performance.  Who in the name of fighting discrimination, discriminate against someone by patting them on the head and telling them we understand how they are not smart enough to succeed with their own God given talents and here's some money so we both can feel good.

At least that's the way I see it.   

Charlie

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

Vol. 1  No.9
Sometimes you have to leave out own little world here in the valley and look around at the crap we're leaving for our grandchildren to sort out. "Global Warming" was the "in" thing, we were all going to drowned when the polar icecaps melted. I came across the following article which makes me feel better.

Ian Rutherford Plimer is an Australian geologist, professor emeritus of earth sciences at the University of Melbourne, professor of mining geology at the University of Adelaide, and the director of multiple mineral exploration and mining companies. He has published 130 scientific papers, six books and edited the Encyclopedia of Geology

Where Does the Carbon Dioxide Really Come From?

Professor Ian Plimer could not have said it better!
If you've read his book you will agree, this is a good summary.

PLIMER: "Okay, here's the bombshell. The volcanic eruption in Iceland . Since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just FOUR DAYS, NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet - all of you.

Of course, you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress - it’s that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesize into oxygen for us humans and all animal life.

I know....it's very disheartening to realize that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kids "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of
your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of abroad,
Nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your 50 cent light bulbs with $10.00 light bulbs.....well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days.

The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days - yes, FOUR DAYS - by that volcano in Iceland has totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the evil beast, carbon. And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time - EVERY DAY.

I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in all its years on earth.

Yes, folks, Mt Pinatubo was active for over
One year - think about it.

Of course, I shouldn't spoil this 'touchy-feely tree-hugging' moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognized 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which
keeps happening despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change.

And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud, but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years. And it happens every year.

Just remember that your government just tried to impose a whopping carbon tax on you, on the basis of the bogus 'human-caused' climate-change scenario.

Hey, isn’t it interesting how they don’t mention 'Global Warming'
Anymore, but just 'Climate Change' - you know why?

It’s because the planet has COOLED by 0.7 degrees in the past century and these global warming bull artists got caught with their pants down.

And, just keep in mind that you might yet have an Emissions Trading Scheme - that whopping new tax - imposed on you that will achieve absolutely nothing except make you poorer.

It won’t stop any volcanoes from erupting, that’s for sure.

But, hey, relax......give the world a hug and have a nice day!"

At least that's the way I see it.

                                Charlie

 

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from curious "Sesoned Citizen"

Vol. 1      No. 8

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

(sorry Clint, I needed a title)

It seems, with some regularity, we are made privy to another list of the “Best Ten” what ever in the Napa Valley.  Do you wonder who dreams these lists up, and more importantly, why?  And what about the ten “worst” things?  Shouldn’t we be aware of these too?  After all, “best” is nice, but “worst” might hurt you!  And “ugly”?  Well generally “ugly” is in the eye of the beholder, and since I have an eye, actually two, and I do routinely ”behold”, I guess I can say what I too think is “ugly.” So, obviously none of my lists are intended to be exhaustive or the final answer. It just the way I’m seeing things today. A little disclaimer here. I’m retired so I have no clients, customers or advertisers I need to suck up to.  This is just how the chips fall.

So here we are; some of the thing around town I feel are “good”, or as they said in “The Sound of Music,” these are a few of my favorite things.

The Best Hamburgers in Town?  I call it tie between Norman Rose Tavern and the Squeeze Inn Café. Two different settings, but a great burger either place. 

A nice place for a snack or light meal alfresco?   Bar Ber Q’s in Bel Aire Plaza.  I would have liked to have mentioned Compadres, but, when I go there and try to enjoy the deck, I’m never sure they’ve solved the bee problem. Nothing ruins the meal like a bee sting.  The unique thing about Napa it’s easier to find great high end out door dining.  Coles, Angele, Celadon – too many to pick just one.

Best Biscuits and Gravy in town? No contest.  The Jefferson Café in the shopping mall at the corner of Jefferson and Pueblo.

Best coffee and Coffee shop. Peet’s in Bel Aire.  Good brew, friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere.

Actually Peets qualifies for a double header.  In addition to a great brew, it also qualifies as The Best Place to Meet Friends and People Watch.  Set between T.J.’s and Whole Foods , and next to Rick’s newly renovated Barber Shop, everyone you know will pass by if you’re just patient. 

The Best Drug Dealer in Town?  The pharmacy manager at Walgreens. What’d you think I was talking about??  Melissa is service oriented, very professional, and always ready to help.

The Best Place to Feed Your Musical Desires? For either listener or singer, it’s the premier group, Sing Napa Valley, formerly known as the Napa Valley Chorale.  Quality music by quality singers.  They open their season in November with a marquee performance at the Lincoln Theater, with the valley’s new symphony orchestra, with a Christmas gift to you of the always moving Handel’s Messiah.  Mark it on your calendar now.  If you think you can sing it, check the Sing Napa Valley website to see how you sign up.

OK, no more Mr. Nice Guy, it’s time to move on to the “Bad.”  At the top of my list is the intersection of Trancas and California.  It’s a fatality waiting to happen. The Chief of Police’ apparent laissez-faire attitude towards consistent enforcement of the most fundamental traffic laws almost moved this item into the “Ugly” category.

How about the never ending discussion, followed by another 50k study of the traffic flow on 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd streets? I’ve been in Napa forty years and I honesty believe this discussion and the commissioning of another study has been going on the entire time. It seems the studies, meetings, surveys, and do-overs have become a cottage industry.  Would it be too tough on them, if I were to suggest the city council do, you know what, or get off the pot?

Also on the “Bad” list is the lack of real accountability of our council members.  The county Board of Supes each has a constituency to whom they are accountable. The council will say, “We are accountable to everybody”, to which I reply, “Which means you are accountable to no one.”  Of course the council won’t do anything to change this. Why should they, it’s nice to hide in the crowd.  I wonder if anyone knows how to write a proposition covering this?

How about a “Good/Bad” mix.  Our city street repair crew certainly qualifies for a “Good”.  The goal of 10 miles of paving every season, topping out what’s new to lengthen its’ life, and the restriping of Trower east of SR29 to Lassen, very creative. But, and you know what a “but” means, it means forget everything I just said ‘cause here’s what I really think.  Solano Ave between Redwood and Trower was let deteriorate into a gauntlet of potholes which challenged the most accomplished driver and sturdiest equipment to make that run and finish with your nerves, teeth and tires all intact.  Then bless your hearts you fixed it. Hallelujah!  A smooth transit.  We got to enjoy it about a week when the crew installing a new water line to tore it up again.  And now, there it sits with steel deck plates and a bump to again test your tires, shocks and nerves.  What kind of dim witted coordination is that???  Are we that big of a corporate entity one department doesn’t have any idea what another is doing?? Surely some of these people must pass each other at the city yards, or clocking in or out.  According to our budget we’re paying department heads, at least I haven’t heard we are now using volunteers. We have a right to expect better coordination and planning. If this was an unavoidable “perfect storm” at least look like you care about cleaning up the mess and restoring the roadway ASAP.

And now the “Ugly.”  You know in good conscience, it’s really difficult to refer to anything here in the valley as “ugly”.  Oh yeah, I know there are a few architectural eyesores around town who’s sudden disappearance overnight wouldn’t cause the smallest of blips on the Rector scale of public opinion.  But, in general things are pretty nice around here, in spite of what our perpetual whiners would have us believe about their agenda for a new world order. I have a theory about them too.  The only reason we have so many is most of the rest of the country is too cold and wet for them to spend too much time marching, kumbayahing, or standing outside grocery stores with petitions. But that’s grist for another blog. But having said all that, there is one blight in our midst which has reared its ugly head recently and that is the really ugly idea of destroying our Opera House by taking it from what was intended by its’ restoration and using it to accommodate another carper bagger looking to enrich his bank account by harvesting not grapes, but big bucks he thinks are here in the Napa Valley just for the plucking.  I sat on groups and with committees, which started meeting in the city chambers when this idea first came up to restore the old girl before she caved in from the accumulated weight of rust and dust.  There were those at the time, who didn’t want any restoration, they would have preferred to let her die and go into the same head of rubble they made of Brewsters. Remember Brewsters?  Fortunately a more enlightened plan developed and over the years, through any device, plan or scheme available money was donated, pledged, earned and begged for, enough money to bring her back to life in the grand style we now see her.  At that time the steering committees couldn’t have been more generous with their assurances that for helping to make the restoration happen, the groups whose help they had asked for, could be assured of a venue which would be affordable. What a laugh.

Now the present managers are telling us they can’t make it as a performance center without a sellout to a third party.  The present managers knew what the challenges would be when they took the job.  Did they donate their salary back when it became apparent to them they couldn’t do the job?  Some of the same people, who had all the great ideas for Copia, now have their fingerprints all over the Opera House.  Copia now sits, dark, empty and being carved up by the vultures. Does anyone see a familiar M.O. at the Opera House?  The only ones who seem to be in favor of the really ugly idea is Mr. Dorf,  Mr. Miami, and the Napa Register who has given prominent space on their editorial page for these two to try and make their case to the public.  If the Opera House management was really serious about addressing the problem and keeping the Opera House as it was intended, they would have been calling on the groups who would use it and enlisting their help in seeking a solution to the problem of filling seats on a regular basis.  Perhaps your buyers should look to the north and go pick over the bones of Copia.  I assure you that idea will be better received.. So how about it guys. You have the courage to call for a round table with all interested groups to engage in a sincere effort to find a solution to our problem of fuller utilization of the facility?  Selling it off and hacking it up, now that’s a really ugly idea. 

At least that’s the way I see it.

Charlie

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seaspned Citizen"

Vol. 1     No.7

Dear readers, both of you.  After due consideration, I decided I was not ready to slash and burn yet and so I let my mind wander in the free style mode.  Should I dwell on my thoughts on immortality (I almost said “immorality”, there must be a lot of material of which I could kick the dirt off of, but this column is not a tell all) and “immortality” is a lot easier to deal with.  For instance I’ve been known to say I plan to live forever and so far, so good.  Philosophy 101 question; would you want to live forever, and if so, why?  The response, “why not,” is not acceptable.  I’ve been fortunate enough to do a lot of things and go a lot of places, memories stacked upon memories.  How much is enough? As a “seasoned citizen” I’ve learned to accept the fact that sometimes you’re the dog, and sometimes you’re the fire hydrant, and it can change by the minute.  It appears the iron in my blood has turned to lead in my a--.  If I’ve lost my glasses, the first place I look is on my forehead. All this has been a round about way of setting you up for one of my most significant (at least in my mind) memories.  One of the most popular movies out right now is “42” which deals with the time in Jackie Robinson’s life when Branch Rickey, the President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, reached out to the Negro American League and tapped him to break the color barrier in major league baseball.  Of course I know nothing of the upheaval and soul searching which went on in the offices of all the teams, you’ll have to trust the movie for that prospective.  What I can attest to is the day in the summer of 1947 when the Brooklyn Dodgers came to my town, Chicago, to play to Cubs in “beautiful Wrigley Field”. 

A little background.  I was in high school, and the regular entertainment for my folks and me was to take first the street car and then the bus to be first in line for the unreserved grandstand seats for at least one game every weekend of a Cubbie home stand. But this game was going to be special.  The Dodgers were coming to town and bring that guy with them. As you might expect, among the Cub fans, there were many descriptive names for that guy and none of them flattering. As you would expect, there was a perceptible air of excitement on the bus to the park and all around the entrances.  The lines got longer faster.   At that time as I recall, Wrigley Field seated about 42K. They hadn’t yet taken a big chunk of the center field bleachers to give the hitters a better background.  The whole park filled fast.  For once, as a Cub fan, you were really interested in the other team’s batting practice.  But then the ramifications of the day started to develop.  If you are from the Chicago area, and were a Cub fan you knew the crowd was going to be as white as the driven snow.  That’s just the way it was.  The “Negros” as they were known then lived on the south side and went to Comiskey Park and cheered for the White Sox.  In this case it was north was north, and south was south, and never the twain shall meet.  With that background being understood, you can imagine the murmur and restlessness which spread through the stands as people who normally habituated Comiskey Park suddenly started to filter into Wrigley Field.  I guess it was sort some of sign of civility in that there was no race baiting or catcalls which I recall.  Very soon, all the standing room was taken, the stairs each had two or three seated on them and the ramps between levels were packed.  I don’t know it as a fact, but there is no doubt in my mind Wrigley Field was splitting at the seams with attendance now up into the mid 50K’s.  The venders loved it even though moving around was tough. 

The Cubs took the field, the Dodgers came up to bat and then it started. A cacophony of cat calls and jeers erupted from both sides.  The “N” word and all it’s variations were hollered out from all over the stands, and, at the same time, cheers of ‘Jackie, he our boy” and “honkies” came just a quickly and just a vigorously.  Neither faction asked or received any quarter. Politically correct hadn’t been dreamed up yet. I can’t tell you who won or lost the game.  I do have two lasting recollections; Robinson was as fast as his billing had led people to believe, and, more amazingly, with all the venom, beer and adrenalin flowing. I recall no incidents of fights or weapons. When the game was over everybody went home and got ready for the next day.  That was a long time ago and a really different time.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Charlie

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

Vol 1  No.6

All my readers, both of them, have encouraged me to find something nice to say in this blog instead of this constant carp, carp, carp.  What ever.  Let’s see, there must be something “nice” I can write about …….. I’m thinking, I’m thinking…… OK, I’ve got a few ideas.

Right up at the top of “nice”, if fact it’s better than “nice” is the fact my daughter Kathy, in her face-off with cancer is much better than she was a year ago. Way to go Kath, hang in there, we’re all with you.

I’m happy for family and friends, who accept, nay, tolerate my idiosyncrasies, foibles, off beat hobbies, and some times irrational politics. They forgive my nasty habit of turning the air blue without realizing the grandkids are in ear shot, and hearing and memory which now and then leaves something to be desired.

I’m happy for my wife Suzanne, who in a leap of faith took a chance on an old grouch, set in his ways, who was taught to keep his emotions in check a poker face and attempt to control his immediate environment. Just the opposite of her background. No one ever said it would be easy, and it hasn’t been, but she’s a keeper. In addition to happy, I’m lucky too.

I’m happy a friend of mine from Peets, who spent four or five years hiding out in his car in the Target parking lot doing drugs is now clean and sober, going to school, and working. He has also found time to adopt, care for and give a home to a couple of homeless canines.

I am happy to live in the Napa Valley. Another truism from Peets; people pay a lot of money to come here and visit, and we old curmudgeons who have earned a retirement are luck enough to live here. Not a bad deal. However, just so you know I haven’t gone completely soft, if there was a way to pluck this valley out of California and replant it among the sane, I would.

I’m happy to have stumbled along through life long enough to see many of my grandchildren growing into productive adults, and considering their gene pool, I will say in all modesty I have great hopes for those younger ones who reach their majority after my warranty has expired.  I’m proud of the fact that at this moment I have one grandson onboard the USS Pennsylvania, a ballistic missile sub, somewhere underwater between the west coast and the International Date Line and he has a younger cousin who has been brought in on the bottom rungs of the ladder to learn, and hopefully participate in a program of submersible vehicles used for deep water scientific exploration.  Subs are OK, but as you know no port holes or screen doors. I’d think it would get a little close after awhile. 

I’m happy to be with the Napa Valley Chorale, an outstanding group of singers and musicians who allow me to play in their sandbox with them as long as I don’t sing too loud.

There, now I’ve got that off my chest. Next week no more Mr. Nice Guy. Inept politicians, road hogs, wheeler-dealers with the public exchequer, and newspaper reporters who can’t understand the difference between opinion and news, stand-by for the ram.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

Vol. !  No. 5

 This letter was originally to the Napa Register but never got published.  I suspect a little too much acid for them to handle and when the criticism is leveled at City Hall, it gets even stickier. I really do understand their reticence to ruffle the feathers of their sources. I hope they, and hopefully the Chief understand I am not alone in my disgust with local driving habits. That being said friends, read on.  :-)

 

                                                            

   This is not a rhetorical question.  Let me see a show of hands of those of you who are sick and tired of rude, inconsiderate, arrogant, sloppy, unskilled, preoccupied cell phone users, or texting imbeciles who have some how been given the privilege of trying to operate a  2000 pound pile of metal and glass on wheels around our streets?  Well, I’m happy to see it’s a majority.  Unless I missed it, I don’t recall seeing the hand of our Chief of Police waving very frantically.  But surly, I must have just missed it.  I’m sure the Chief is as fed up with these Bozo’s  who run red lights in groups of three and four because they can’t really expect  “me” to wait for another green sequence can they?  And how the smug arrogance oozes out of the windows of the nit-wit who thinks Stop signs are for losers as they coast through not slowing enough to even call it a “California Stop”?  And is anyone else as mystified as I am about all the high end luxury SUV’s and sedans which apparently don’t come equipped with turn signals anymore?

   Come on men and women in blue. We love you dearly, you do a dangerous job and the community benefits from your commitment. But  folks, we can’t all be Homicide Detectives, SWAT Team members, or undercover Narcs. Somebody has to do the “grunt” work of enforcing traffic laws.  How about it Chief?  Saturation enforcement for a week on Trancas between SR29 and Jefferson.  Any officer who can’t write his salary in traffic violations, we take away his gun and issue him a white cane and Seeing Eye dog.

 I double-dog dare ya’. 

So there you have it, at least that's the way I see it.

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.--David Letterman

Thoughts, opinoins, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

Vol. 1 No,4
I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Never start vast projects with half-vast ideas.  I read with chagrin the roll out PR being generated by some members of the Napa Valley Opera House management/staff for the conversion  of the "House" from what it was originally intended to a "cabaret/restaurant".  Council member Inman reportedly noted, "not all change is bad".  I would respectfully reply, the other side of that coin is "not all change is good."  Mrs Mondavi I believe surmised it best with her observation the idea has her blessing, "so long as the performing arts don't take a back seat to the restaurant-cabaret."  Does anyone really believe the local groups and non-profits who have tried to get performance dates, and received luke-warm to cool receptions from Opera House staff will really fair any better under the proposed make-over?  Less seats  means costlier tickets which means less access for a segment of the Napa audiences who can't afford dinner and drinks on top of a show..  
I'll admit to be speaking from recollection, but it seems to me some of the same voices leading this crescendo of drumbeats for change, are some of the same voices heard  leading Copia as it sunk slowly and ignominiously into a sea of red ink.  How about this.  Opera House staff agrees to a sincere sit down conference with representatives of all the local clubs, groups, and non-profits who would sincerely love to perform in the Opera House and search for ways to accommodate both our needs,  You need profit, we need a venue.  That's a true win-win!  In my opinion downtown Napa  does not need any more eating places or watering holes, regardless of what name you hang on them.  Why not send Michael Dorf/City Winery a few miles north and see if they can resurrect Copia which still has ample parking and constant exposure from the crowds at Ox Bow ?
At least that's the way I see it.
ck  

Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a "Seasoned Citizen"

I may need to apologize to all my readers (both of them) for seeming to be flailing around with font size and style to find something with which I'm comfortable.  Right now this looks pretty good to me but we'll see by the end of this little piece of nonsense how I feel about it. 

My intention was to meander through 4th of July thoughts in this blog, but looking at the clock and knowing how far I've got to go, by the time I push the "publish" button it will be the 5th.  Oh well, so much for deadlines.

As I reminisced with a couple of my grand kids about the "good old days" and the Roman candle wars and bottle rocket shoot outs we used to have in the prairie town I spent every summer in, it brought home the fact of how much things have changed. And just for the record I don't automatically equate "change" with "good."  Momma wasn't  there to yell at us about putting out someone's  eye (we never did) , and the town Constable was a discreet moderating factor to make sure things didn't too far out of hand.  For entertainment the Volunteer Firemen would suit up in teams of two, separated by thirty or forty yards, armed with fully charged fire hoses, and slowly advance on the other team. One team member would walk backwards acting as a shield and taking the brunt of the water stream. The second member would be hiding back of the first, his job being to aim the water stream. The first team knocked to the ground, and rolled along in the gravel by that powerful stream obviously lost and another pair would come out to challenge. The women's groups from the two churches in town, one Roman Catholic, and the other Evangelical Reformed, met in the basement of the Catholic church since it was bigger and had a better kitchen to fix the noon meal for the town. (Population 260) Roast beef, fresh veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy, all the salads you could imagine and  an abundance of apple and mince meat pies.  Fast forward to our present era.  As I made a quick trip up and down my block I counted a few more than two dozen homes and only three of them were flying our nations flag.  That's a pretty sad commentary.  Do I think these people are disloyal Americans, closet anarchists, or just too lazy to hang a flag out?  Of course not.  Are they too poor to afford a flag kit from Orchard Hardware? Not in this neighborhood. So then, what's the problem?  Could it be the state of politics in our country at the present time is so putrid and the philosophy of "a pox on all your houses" so prevalent, it has caused us to blur the lines between supporting our elected representatives and supporting our country?  Someone took the time to figure out there are a few more than 500 people in the three branches of the Federal Government directly responsible for the condition of our country.  If taxes are too high, it is because congress voted them, if we are in debt, it is because congress and the President pass and sign the bills creating the debt.  If our laws are weak, diluted or prostituted, it's because the Supreme courts has sanctioned it.  But all of this should not stop us from saying it's my country, established, fought for and passed on by all our ancestors and I think enough of it to at least fly her flag, if not regularly, at least on her birthday. There was also a time when every merchant had a flag flying in front of their business. Perhaps the Scouts could refocus on somethings besides picking up Christmas trees and food drives, as important as that is, and try to get a few downtown merchants to dust off that tradition.  We should remember our newest memorial to Vets downtown was brought to life kicking and screaming by one young lady as her senior project. At least that's the way I see it.
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Thoughts, opinions, and musings from a curious "Seasoned Citizen"

         Vol. 1  No.2

          Napa Valley Register editorial, June 30^th, 2013, “Protracted negotiations muddy deal for Borrero.”  For some who don’t remember, or are new to the city, the Borrero building was grabbed off by the City of Napa, in the early days of flood control, forcing out an established merchant.  It has sat empty ever since.  The city now has two bids for the property, one for 1.6 million and one for 1.7 million, but the Mayor and Council are sitting on their hands, rather take action, claiming some sort of an “understanding” with the Napa Land Trust (NLT) to deliver the property to them if they could get their ducks in order in a specified time.  That window of opportunity came and went, came and went twice actually, with NLT unable to qualify.  At that point the two outside bids came in.  Then came a whole litany of mealy mouthed and odorous excuses along the lines of “we said we would, so now we should still give it to the NLT.  GIVE ME A BREAK!  I’d like to remind the esteemed Madam Mayor and the equally esteemed members of the city council, the City of Napa is not, repeat, is not, your own private sand pile or Monopoly Board.  You have the legal responsibility as stewards of our city to do what’s best for the city.  Turning down legitimate tax generating, job producing offers in order to take care of your pals at the NLT doesn’t qualify as either smart or honorable stewardship.  I can’t help but wonder who has already picked out their furniture for their new 2^nd floor office with a great view of the downtown.  And if the story was accurately reported, a new tasting room will go in on the first floor.  Just what we need, another tasting room.  You can paint a skunk any color you want, but it will still smell like a skunk.  Come on folks, get a little upset at getting your pocket picked in broad day light and let these would be back room wheeler dealers know, like the movie said, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it any longer.”  Everyone with an ounce of common sense knows this stinks.  This brings me back to the Napa Valley Register editorial.  It was a huge disappointment. I understand that generally you probably feel the need to stay of the good side of the powers that be.  But come on Mr. Editor, with your local news monopoly (is there another paper in town to provide counter-point?) don’t you feel any responsibility to at least address the obvious? Sorry sir, but the way I see it, you used your entire column trying to convince people it is possible to pick up a piece of feces from the clean end.  

                

Vol 1 No. 1

Vol.1 No. 1

   I suppose I was guilty of it too, but I remember as my kids were just beginning to get curious, it seemed the first word they learned after “no” was “why.”  So …. apparently I’m reaching that state of euphoria known as a “second childhood” or, “duck for cover, Grandpa’s about to start in on “when I was a kid.”

    Inevitably some will agree with me, and some won’t.  I am past that stage of wanting to fall on my sword if someone doesn’t “like me.”  (Probably one of the reasons I don’t Facebook, the other being I really don’t care that, as you sit there ,you have found a  way to soak your tired feet, contemplate your navel, do your nails, suck in a divine broccoli-asparagus smoothie and text in your vote for “America’s Next Top Model.”    

   At this point, I have not, and probably will not, set any philosophical “off limits signs” for where this blog takes me.  I will say, if groups or individuals find a way to call attention to themselves and gain their fifteen minutes of fame in the print or electronic media, I’m sure I’ll have a comment.  Maybe “pro”, maybe “con” who knows?  I think I could comfortably “bet the farm” inevitably someone as opinionated as me will feel the need to take issue with something I write.  Reasonable responses will be considered; irrational rants will be round filed.  I’ll be the judge, and decision of the Judge will be final.  Sorry ‘bout that.

   Also, if I spot a thought, idea or bit of humor someone else has come up with, I’ll probably steal it (with attribution if possible).

   So there you have it. I would hope to be able to generate two or three entries a week, but we’ll see.

s/Charlie