Ron's Log

City Manager's Memo

• There will be a meeting of all parties (City, MSWD, CVAG, Dudek, Fish & Game, Fish & Wildlife) to talk about the details of MSHCP. There will be a notice of the EIR in mid February and "finalization of the Initial Study," whereupon it can be released for the 30-day comment period.
• Village at Mission Lakes - progress continues. The developer has requested a deferral of DIF. That will come before the City Council on February 15.
• Annexation 29 - the complete package will be submitted by the applicants to staff in early February.
• Pierson Professional Plaza comes before the Planning Commission on February 8.
• Spa Tour - February 3, 4 PM to 8 PM.
• Tour de Palm Springs - February 12. Worsley Road, Indian, Dillon - no street closures.
• Mesquite Avenue is done, needs minor striping and marking improvements.
• Letter sent to developer and bonding company requesting completion of improvements at Agua Dulce.
• Researching right-of-way on Sonora Drive in preparation of improvements for Painted Hills Middle School access.
• Met with the owner of 11940 Palm Drive [sometimes called the Hacienda Realty building].
  
  
• Resolved the city's oldest hoarding violation. [I know we'd like more details, but that's all Mr. Daniels says].

Alta at the Koch Protest

Photo by NancyCain. L.A. Times news story here.

The Interviewing Skills Of Alfred Lambremont Webre

Imagine that you found a genuine living space-alien from Tau Ceti residing in the United States and the alien (whose name is Jerry) could speak English fluently and was willing to sit down for a video interview. There's no way you could make such an interview dull, tedious and boring, is there? But Mr. Alfred Lambremont Webre found a way to do just that. The interview is in four videos:

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

I watched about five minutes of the first one and then decided I had something (anything!) better to do. If you watch them all and find anything interesting, do get back to us.

Coming Into Los Angeles

Forward-facing camera on an airplane making a twilight landing at LAX.

A Brilliant Idea For The Egyptian Issue

Stephenson Billings ("Investigative Journalist, Motivational Children's Party Entertainer and Antique Soda Bottle Collector") writes on a website called "christwire.org" ("Conservative Values for an Unsaved World" - even though they don't capitalize "Christ") that Sarah Palin needs to rise up and rattle her saber in order to inspire Americans to support an American invasion of Egypt! I know on the surface this idea seems like the best thing since sliced bread and sliced bacon, because we've had so much success, gained so much power, and increased our treasure so greatly by invading the territories of those other two ancient cultures: Iraq and Afghanistan. Obviously, we would do even better invading the most ancient culture, especially since it has 84 million citizens (Iraq has only 32 million).

But there are more reasons to favor a Palin-inspired invasion of Egypt than just the fact that it would be such a cake walk. Let me walk you through Mr. Billings Christ-inspired reasons:

1. First, we know things are really bad in Egypt because "numerous reports of Christians having their phone and internet services cut off have reached America." It's my understanding that phone and internet service have been cut off for everybody in Egypt, so the statement is technically accurate. But he could also have said just as accurately that there were numerous reports that phone and internet service had been cut off for Egyptians who had been planning to visit Disney World next year.
   
   
2. In Tunisia, students were unwitting tools of fundamentalist Islamics, he says. "As was seen in Southeast Asia in the 60s, this movement threatens to ignite the whole continent in revolution against our strongest allies in the region."

   Will my readers please help me recall the student uprisings in Southeast Asia in the 60s? I remember the French losing the Indochina War and dividing Vietnam into the communist North and non-communist South. We should all be well aware of how that went, but I don't recall Vietnamese students being a big part of it. And the eventual success of the North Vietnamese did not "ignite the whole continent in revolution."
   
   

3. "The Taliban took advantage of this type of dilemma several decades ago, leading to the rise of an Al Qaida dictator state in Afghanistan." As I recall, the Taliban emerged after the collapse of the Soviet-installed communist government subsequent to the collapse of the Soviet government itself. This was in the 90s, which is something less than "several decades ago." The Taliban existed because we, the United States, supported them as insurgents against the Soviet invasion. It's a dynamic that is completely different from the ones in Tunisia and Egypt where you've got long-reigning, corrupt, Muslim dictators running the show. And what's this "Al Qaida dictator state in Afghanistan?"
   
   
4. "Socialists, liberals and eco-terrorists are fully behind the violence in Egypt. Their talk of a coup d’etat in the U.S. is dangerous, possibly treasonous, and threatens our greatest traditions of moral primacy." I'm sure we can all agree that the best way to convince "socialists, liberals and eco-terrorists" of our moral primacy and, thereby, gain their support is to invade Egypt. The "moral primacy" argument worked very well during the Vietnam War to assure unanimous support of that war by Americans.
   
   
5. If Sarah Palin were to call for an invasion of Egypt "other Western nations are sure to join us." Oh my god yes, that is so obvious. Palin's support outside the U.S. is tremendous in...uh...is Liberia considered a "Western nation?"

He concludes that the failure of Sarah Palin to get us going on an invasion of Egypt could lead to the creation of 84 million enemies of Christianity. We all know that right now Egypt is famous for its Christian-loving populace. Every single one of 'em. And nothing would confirm them in their love of Christianity more than an American invasion. It's always worked before, hasn't it?

General Amos Delivers The Official Word To The Marine Corp About The Repeal of DADT

General James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, was the one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who Senator McCain most liked to lean upon in his opposition to the repeal of Don't Ask - Don't Tell. But General Amos had always said he would follow orders. Here, General Amos addresses the Marine Corps:

As we implement repeal, I want leaders at all levels to re-emphasize the importance of maintaining dignity and respect for one another throughout our force. We are Marines. We care for one another and respect the rights of all who wear this uniform. We will continue to demonstrate to the American people that discipline and fidelity which have been the hallmarks of the United States Marine Corps for more than 235 years will continue well into the future.

"Concerned American Citizens" Halt Further Action To Oppose Temecula Islamic Center

Light has finally dawned in the minds of some of the key opponents to the construction of a new Islamic Center in Temecula. The only valid legal issues were land use issues, and the Islamic Center has got all of those nailed down tight. Other issues that may have motivated the opponents were irrelevant or unconstitutional.

The blog of the Concerned American Citizens has not been updated since the unanimous vote of the Planning Commission in December 2010, other than to add the note: "All future additions to this site will be found on our companion site below" which links to a blog called "Dangers of Allah." That blog has nothing but anti-Islamic content. It does have a blog entry before last week's Temecula City Council meeting, but nothing about the unanimous vote there.

Joshua Tree National Park 75th Anniversary Begins

Today was a reception at Copper Mountain College to mark the beginning of a series of events celebrating the 75th anniversary of the creation of Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936 by Franklin Roosevelt. The lack of a portrait of FDR at the event was noticed by me, if not by anyone else.

Huell Howser with Lorraine Becker and Russ Augustine.

And here we see Russ Augustine showing off his photobombing skills.

Mark Butler, the new superintendent at the park.

Mark Wheeler (right) from the Joshua Tree National Park Association presenting the Minerva Hoyt Award to Mark Bagley of the Owens Valley Committee. Mr. Bagley explained to us some of the benefits the LADWP had brought to the Owens Valley since 1913, and how they've been working for the last 40 years to undo those benefits. Here is info about the Minerva Hoyt Award. Here's the website for the Owens Valley Committee.

The complete set of photos of the 75th anniversary reception is here.

Naval Academy Respects Marine's Widower

John Fliszar was a U.S. Marine aviator who married Mark Ketterson in Iowa in 2008. Before he died last July, John Fliszar told his husband that he wanted his ashes interred in the U.S. Naval Academy's Columbarium at Annapolis.

"They were always polite, but there was this moment of hesitation," Ketterson recalled. "They said they're going to need something in writing from a blood relative. They asked, 'Are you listed on the death certificate?' 'Do you have a marriage license?'"

He showed them the marriage certificate, and "From that moment on, I was next of kin. They were amazing."

The obituary in the publication of the USNA alumni association "noted he was 'survived by his husband, Mark Thomas Ketterson.'" This is thought to be a first for the alumni association.

The article goes on talk about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which is not relevant in this case. The law that matters is the "Defense of Marriage Act" which forbids this sort of recognition of gay marriage throughout the federal government.

Norco Water Rates

Norco is considering an increase in water and sewer rates and fees in two steps over the next two years. They propose to increase the standard ¾-inch meter fee from $14.23/month to $18.97 to $20.87. The rate in Mission Springs Water District is $9.32.

They don't have tiered water rates in Norco. They propose to increase the cost of water per HCF from $1.33 to $1.84 to $2.02. MSWD's tiered rates go from $0.99 up to $1.83.

Norco's sewer base fee would go from $40/month to $46 to $51. MSWD's is $26.98.