Angelenos think of “gridlock” as that which happens on the Interstate 405 every day, as well as on many other freeways around town. In this week’s column, we’re focusing on how the electrical grid in California helps start wildfires. (Governor Newsom says he sees this going on for more than a decade as the state […]
Some years ago I was at a talk where I asked some questions. Afterwards, the speaker came over to me and commented that it seemed I had a great many interests. I said that was not true. I actually only have two interests: 1) What is the nature of reality? 2) What is the nature […]
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This Friday, February 19, at 10:30 am, the Montecito Journal will host a Community Zoom Forum on the subject of our County’s COVID Vaccination Rollout. Present at this forum will be: Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Senator Monique Limón, County Supervisors Das Williams and Gregg Hart, Santa Barbara County Director of Public Health Van Do-Reynoso, and […]
Interesting concept, as per last week’s lead piece of this newspaper. Having a COVID vaccination czar in Santa Barbara. It would be even worth investigating if it weren’t so hypocritical and so self centered for this particular newspaper to bring the subject matter up. Two weeks ago MJ’s investigative reporter Nicholas Schou pointed out, what […]
Ah yes… Valentine’s Day is here. Commercially, it’s a very successful day because merchants have historically used this “hearts and flowers” day to sell lots of sugary red hearts and flowers. And, having grown up as a Catholic, I’ve always experienced a certain sadness from learning how St. Valentine was beheaded for sending a note […]
Vaccinating at least 70% of the world’s population is, to say the least, challenging. Especially when you consider the number of variables that must coalesce, like Federal, State, and local governments, private industries, varying political perspectives and trust levels, and, of course, sheer math. It’s a logistical bear. The confusion and inconsistencies that have plagued […]
Senior Moments Congratulations on the new column, Senior Portrait. Just read the wonderful article on Peter van Duinwyck, whom I knew years ago from our Montecito Association Board. He certainly made big contributions to the success there and to all his other involvements, then and now. Sure miss our “good old days” and look forward […]
What does “voter suppression” even mean? What does it look like in real life? How bad is it? How much worse can it get? How can we ever enjoy a true democracy when citizens who are people of color, students, or ex-felons are not allowed to vote at all? In 2018, then Georgia Secretary of […]
One hundred and thirty-nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted, after the insurrection (which sacked the Capitol building and took five lives), to support the mob’s demands to overturn the results of the recent presidential election. An election found, after sixty meritless legal challenges, to have been a free and fair exercise in […]
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Setting the Record Straight Cold Spring School has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the best public elementary schools in California. Year after year, we have earned high honors for student achievement, family engagement, innovative instruction, and effective administration. Our students are given an exceptional foundation for life-long learning and they excel in junior […]
Someone once said, “Journalism is what somebody doesn’t want you to know. The rest is advertising.” I find that quote not just clever, but true, and precisely why local journalism is so vital. With so much overwhelming national news, not to mention two diametrically opposed sets of news to choose from, both biased, I often […]
Capitol Offense Like most Americans, I was distressed last week when rioters at the instigation of Donald Trump invaded and trashed the Capitol. It was even more upsetting for my wife, Mary, who worked twelve years on Capitol Hill. I covered Congress for Ridder Publications before going to The Washington Post and have been in […]
Senator Mitt Romney succinctly summarized the events of last Wednesday in one sentence: “What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.” Former President George W. Bush also used “insurrection” to describe the attack on the U.S. Capitol, felt by many to be “the center and sacred symbol of […]
Do we, as the people of the United States of America, want to be a democracy? This is the fundamental question behind the several articles being grouped under the title “Escaping Minority Rule.” Historically we know the founders wanted to create minority rule and they went to great lengths to ensure that some people (primarily […]
