Wait, It Gets Worse. (see previous post)
If you’ve ever wondered if the editor of the Tribune, or at least the Editorial Page Editor of the Tribune, or whoever writes the Editorial “Boquets and Brickbats” editorials ever bothers to actually read the Tribune, then the answer has to be, uh, No.
I give you Exhibit A, the March 20th Bouquets and Brickbats. Absolutely ignoring or maybe not even reading, or utterly unaware of the Tribune’s March 19th headline story – “Six of the county’s seven cities don’t honor request for records that the law says they must,” the editor hurls a “stinkin’ brickbat” at Los Osos with this sub-hed: “Los Osos board falls short on disclosure.”
And in the story, there’s nary a mention about the other six of the seven cities which also fell short on disclosure. Nope, not a whisper, not a tittle, not a jot. Magically, it’s as if the March 19th story “Celebrating America’s Public Records Laws,” just disappeared into The Great Tribune Forgetting.
Mirable visu! Or caveat lector? Or maybe the Tribune's brickbat budget is getting mighty slim since they've been sold to McClatchy?
Pages
About the Can(n)ons
Followers
Follow by Email
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
Calhouns Can(n)ons
Search Calhoun's Can(n)ons
19 comments:
The difference between the two stories: one asks for information that is either readily available online from the cities' web sites or judged incorrecty to not be distributable, neither case applying to the LOCSD.
LOCSD Breakdown: 15 refered to lawyers (have they no time for what they make?);
12 requests filled versus 39 not filled
Why don't you address the transparency issue? You pooh pooh the Tribune's slant on stories but where are your investigative articles?
You write to entertain not to inform seems to me! Write something sometime that would be publishable in a newspaper as a news and not as a commentary.
It is easy to "comment" on a story in the Tribune or other newspapers (and you do this extrememly well), but can you actually do research and write "news" stories?
I've seen bloggers ask you to investigate topics but I've never seen you respond.
Do you consider yourself a reporter or a commentator? Curious minds want to know!
Dear anon, "to know"
I expect Ann will be the ONLY reporter from the meeting of the Doomed, The Triv?
Lets see---
I was there, the rep from Sam's office was depressing, If anyone can say honestly that they believe that the failure of the negotiations between Sam's office and the CSD board and the "water gods" was not crushed by egos, well let them ask Sam.
Anon "sustantive facts" thanks for the medical report on the efficancy of "smart pills"
Ann it was great to meet you!
From Anonymous, above:"Do you consider yourself a reporter or a commentator? Curious minds want to know!"
Uh, Please pick up a copy of The Bay News. Turn to the "editorial" page, labeled "Everyone's Got An Opinion." There you will see,on the editorial page, Calhoun's Can(n)ons. It's an OPINION COLUMN. It was an OPINION COLUMN when I started writing it back in 1991 in the Sun Bulletin, it's been an OPINION COLUMN in the subsequent Bay News, Bay Breeze, and Bay News again. What I write and have written for lo, these many years, is an OPINION COLUMN that appears on the "editorial page" of the paper, a page that's reserved for OPINION. If you're looking for a "reporter" you'd need to go talk to Abraham Hyatt at the Trib. or Jack Beardwood at the Bay News, or . . . .
To Mike, Hey! great seeing you last night. At last, a face to go with a name. Yep, Blakeslee's aid made it clear (if actually sitting in the various RWQCB hearings didn't,) just what a false picture of Los Osos the Board members are running in their heads, just how much laziness, egoes, pique, anger, ignorance, "face-saving" and "rights-fighting" (do you want revenge or do you want a wastewater system, take your pick)play in these regulatory bodies that have no real checks and balances in place. It's a system that's broken and extremely dangerous to individual citizens. That's one of the critical things Los Ososians need to understand. They can stand up and drive this train or just lay down and get run over. The choice is theirs.
Ann,
It is not us who needs to do something but Sam. We cannot convince the RWQCB that we are doing something right if they've already viewed us as full of sh*t. Furthermore, arguing, complaining, whining and the like won't change their perspective.
If this is a trainwreck it is being caused by both the engineer and the brakeman ... if they're spending so much time arguing about how to stop the train that they can't get the train stopped both are to blame.
However, that being said, I see the RWQCB actions as REactions to the choices of the LOCSD board. They told us in advance what they would do should we make the choices we did. We made those choices anyway.
Yes, they could have been more forgiving and patient ... however, we've given them little reason to feel that additional patience would produce a WWTF. Had this board played their cards differently shortly after the election, things would not be so bad now.
Yes, it is time for Sam to step in again and ask both sides to do something more reasonable that what they are committed to currently.
It seems clear to me that Ann is a humerous commentator. If she was no good at creating humor, nobody would read her, and she is worthwhile reading. Her humourous comments about what is happening in the opinion part of the Tribune are mundane. Worse than that, it has been going on for years, causing dissatisfaction and loss of readership. Hopefully, this will change.
Ann and Mike: Where were you last night and what happened? Inquiring (sewer) minds wanna know! Thanks, you're the best.
Shark.
Thank goodness you are off the "smart pills". You seem to be back spouting reasonable opinion again. I, among many, value your opinion, and realise that you name was taken over by a truely misguided and sick person. Your name was highjacked. You have always been a voice of reason.
Well, the damage has been done, not to you on this blog, and we must go forward for the people of Los Osos. The problem is severe. Forewarned consequences are beginning to be a reality, and we will make decisions concerning self rule.
We have a severe failure in law leading to total disrepect for the law, and for proponents of all sides of our problem. Speculation without a plan is running rampant. Where the money will come from to fund any plan, assuming it is approved, is totally unclear, and then the question of "How Much" is equally unclear. There is a very large question of trust, us or the county to get the problem solved.
We are all arguing "how many angels can we fit on a head of a pin?" We each have an answer, and get very disturbed with those who disagree. We are consumed by arguement about size of angels. We have not established the pin, the size of the head, the purchase price of the pin, whether the pin is readily available, or whether the pin has even been invented yet. And then there is a group who say "angels do not exist!"
Why is this? We have a law that states that we must not pollute
our groundwater. This law comes from the congress of the US, to be inforced by the states. It comes after the fact that our homes were legally permitted and built. High density housing was permitted.
Worse than this, the law provides no plans, no idea what would be acceptable for different size communities with different pollution types and problems, and no money to effect a solution. Originally a sewer plant was mandated to the county for Los Osos.
So the county hires expert consultants with our money, knowledgeable as to past acceptability to regulating agencies, and pay them a great deal of money to devise a plan, pick a site, and start the process.
I bring forth analogy:
We have a pin, but the arguement of "how many angels can we fit on the head of the pin" continues as it always has. So lost in arguement, we lose sight of the county pin.
We decided on smaller angels to fit a self rule pin. "Cheaper and better" experts came forth from within Los Osos to define the pin while small angels danced awaiting a pin head. The pin head was not acceptable, the pin was all bent, and we could not fit enough angels on the head. The law will not and does not tell us what to do, but only what we cannot do. Disaster. The arguement about angels goes on without a pin to fit them on.
So we assess ourselves, and pay a fortune for the best consultants in the world to develop a plan, site, take care of permitting, and get a plant under construction. In the meantime a plethora of home grown "experts" emerge to argue the angel problem. "Experts" from other areas come to town, all to argue "how many angels can you fit on a head of a pin". All of a sudden, everyone becomes an "expert". We become up to our eyeballs with "experts" defining the size of angels. As the arguement ensues, the money paid to consultants is ignored, and again the pin is lost. But is it? Is there a better pin? Is the old county pin to be found? Is any arguement about how many angels will fit on the head productive?
Do angels really exist? Are our home grown "experts" really real, or are they like the angels, awaiting our definition of size, and hence reality.
All I know is that there will never ever be a consensis of the size of angels, regardless of past arguements or future.
Will we continue to argue the size of angels and the quantity that can be fit on the head of a pin?
Can your detractors agree to stop this first and formost? Can we all argue both sides of a question and come up with an answer? How about you?
As to Sam Blakslee, he is a Republican in a Democratic legislature. Whatever he does or tries to do will come to naught. He was totally ineffective the last time he got involved. He was naive to enter the fray, and was diddled by both sides. He was very brave to enter, but blamed by both sides for being ineffective. He has absolutely nothing to gain. We need to take care of this problem ourselves and resolve the question of effectiveness of self rule or put ourselves in the hands of the county.
Very well stated, Spectator! Finally, a comentary with out dripping sarcasm and blatant bias! Well done!
Sharkey and Spectator,
Lets hope the wierdness thats been going on has run it's course (on this comment blog)
I value both of your perspectives, and your last posts were very good.
One thing that Sams rep. was quite adamnant about was the peception of legislators in Sac. concerning L.O.
We are well known and, it seems, somewhat despised. Their perception (according to her) is that L.O. doesn't care about the ecology or water, that we are all a bunch of "malcontents"
(quote mine)that will do anything to escape having a sewer.
I wonder how they got that idea?
I also wonder what we could do to correct that perception.
If the dissolution effort fails, will the community finaly come toghether and speak with one voice?
Left with nothing else to support, it seems money well spent to delay or defeat the CDOs
Sam's rep was quite insistant that if we want ANY help from our State government we will need to project a united front in favor of a WWTF and quit waring over the details.
She also said that affordability is a "tricky problem" In my mind it seems that that issue will never be addressed.
Might as well quit carping about it then.
On the other hand, if dissolution succeeds, well what kind of voice do we have then? what difference would it make what anybody thought? More importantly, say what you want about the effectivness of Sam, but I think it would be very unwise to not pay heed to his message. He is in favor of local control, that is a direct quote, His office has been working tirelessly in our behalf, dissoulution would cut him off at the knees.
The county? Why haven't we heard anything from them?
I am in agreement that the new board mishandled things at first, if you remember I was in favor of continuing TriW but using other means to achieve a better solution, well so much for that.
Like Ann says, the next vote will decide a lot.
I wonder and wonder
Anonymous!
Please do not be "anonymous". Get a blog name! Post you comments with pride! Your opinion is respected!
We already have an "anonymous" on these blogs. We are concerned about him. He had a sneezing problem, and has overdosed on "smart pills". He has "night written", like sleep writing. He has taken over shark's identity.
A double dose of "smart pills" has cured the sneezing, and others have written the prescription, so therefore it is true. The sneezing has stopped. I have written for him to stop taking "smart pills". This may be a false and unwarented prescription, I know nothing of this except what has been writen, but understand that he believes anything written is true.
I am afraid he is under severe withdrawal problems and fear possible suicide. One cannot eat and speak rabbit crap for 30 years without consequences. Pray for him, nurse him if you can find him, but get your own identity.
What say you, Mike Green? How about this, Dogs? Sharky, an opinion please? And where is Dr. Don? Dr. Don knows eyes, and can certainly help the shark highjacker with an eye-astic nerve problem if I remember the problem correctly. Anyone else? This guy needs help. Recent anonoymous, you need an identity!
Mike Green, thanks for your comments. Glad you were at the meeting, and thanks for the report. It was very different from Ann's (socks, excuse me, another Ann may show up, Sam has a brillient rep called "Ann") I guess there were different filters in the eyeglasses to correct colors. To Ann Calhoun: It's ok, we all filter. Your filter makes you who you are. We do not want to change you, only your socks! Nope, stay the way you are, stripped socks are ultra cool! But I divert myself. Mike Green:
I bring to your attention on your quote or jist: "Money is a sticky problem" by Sam's rep. Mike: you do not feel this will be addressed by the regulating powers? I say your perception is correct: Not if they can help it! This Blakslee rep is absolutely correct! And there it is! "Sticky problem" Roll this in your mouth, savor the concept, consider fly paper with dead flies stuck on sweetened sticky paper, blowing gracefully in the wind, collecting even more flies. "Sticky problem". YUBETCHA!
Ok, I'm going to take Mike's advise and reveal to everyone my true identity. I am..........SHARK INLET!!!!!!!!!
Want me to let you in on another little secret? The last "anonymous" who commented in this post was actually me, sticking my head between my legs and kissing my own ass. Yes, it's me Shark Inlet a.k.a Spectator. Last night, a rabbit with a clock came hopping thru my house. The rabbit told me his friend with the big hat was having a tea party. The rabbit was in a hurry but invited me to join him and told me to follow this trail of "smart pills" that I have been telling you all about. I guess I was just suppose to follow them and not eat them. Oops. I was so ashamed that when I first told you about them I posted as "anonymous" and pretended I was someone else. Anyway, when I woke up this morning, I was in a straight jacket and a padded cell. Thank God they didn't get my laptop. I let the invisible cat stick it up my ass. And, yes, I'm sure it's obvious to everyone, they took away my "smart pills" when they checked me in here last night. The doctor asked me where I got them. I said, I got them from a talking rabbit with a clock that was in a big hurry. Then, the doctor told me the "pills" were rabbit shit.
I asked the doctor if I could have another one, but he wouldn't let me. I am feeling much better now. The realization and clarity of the truth was much too painful. I totally fucked over the community of Los Osos eight years ago when the County was all ready to build us a sewer. I told them "cheaper, "better", "faster". It wasn't too long after the painful guilt of this lie set in that, I started seeing talking rabbits and invisible cats.
Don't worry about me. I have a multiple personality disorder. Don't worry about my alter ego that is suffering from the withdrawal of me not taking the smart pills. The doctor took us off the smart pills but now were on lithium, prozac, pimozide, azt and my boyfriend Publicworks snuck me in some viagra because the toys here in the adolescent unit aren't very much fun to play with. Don't worry, we(me and the people living inside me) aren't suicidal yet. But, when I get out, I may hire someone to kill me. If you guys find out who called emergency last night to send the "white coats" will you thank them for me. While I'm in here it's going to be kind of hard to continue my campaign for a DIVIDED community via the dissolution movement. But, I'm sure all my pissed off, asshole friends will pick up the slack. They can't stand it that the community is starting to realize how badly we fucked over Los Osos. When the people start getting hit with the CDOs and do research they will find out that eight years ago the County was ready to build a sewer in Los Osos and I said NOOOOO!!! I can do it "cheaper", "better", "faster".......and after eight years all I had to present to the community was a sludge factory next to the library and across the street from the church for $205 a month????? Fuck, I'm so screwed. Does anybody know a good "hit man"?
Now our favorite friend has decided to spoof yet another person...
How nice and friendly-like. Reminds me of CSD meetings where some people can't handle listening politely to the opinion of others so they feel the need to shout them down. God I missed the old-fashioned shouting ... glad that something comparable has appeared here.
Perhaps the goal is to make Ann's blog so worthless that Ann wants to shut it down herself.
Dear Inlet, I think. My blog only becomes worthless when everyone in the universe stops reading it.And it gets taken off the Newsmission blogspot when Greg emails me and says, "Better put on your striped socks and hit the road, we're giving your blog site to someone who wants to post really cool cooking recipes." In addition, Blogs can exist apart of "comments." ron Crawford, over at Sewerwatch, got so disgusted with some of his "commentors" he turned the "comment" key off. So, I gathered, some of the people sut out of Ron's site, came over to my site and started complaining. Now, of course, we have certain commentors pulling the same silly stuff here.
However, people are free to read my blog postings and forego the "comments." People are also free to scan through the "comments" and read only the sections they chose to. and noboody is required to reply to anything. And everyone should understand that "anonymous" anything falls into the same category as "free advice -- worth what you paid for it, which is ... nothing.
And proceed accordingly.
TO ALL:
Love it! Now the person who was anonymous before with the sneezing has become so disabled and uncertain that he can't type "anonymous", and needs other identities. But let us analyse this:
1. He rides a bike.
2. The bike has a flag on it.
3. The guy uses the word "hit man", a word people in the Italian community of New York/Jersey use.
4. The person uses a laptop, not a regular computer.
5. This person is an avid apologist for the current LOCSD.
6. He is rude to an extreme.
7. He has been rejected and harbors great anger, because people reject his logic (sophistry).
8. He changes blog names regularly.
9. He answers his own blogs.
10. It is impossible for him to be wrong about ANYTHING.
The application of deductive reasoning and past observance would conclude that this could be no other than JOEY RACANO. Will the real Joey stand up to receive the cow pie award?
Spectator, The real one, or at least the one that writes and you can click on the name and see its the same old spectator that I used to poke fun at by calling you spacetater, man, that takes too much effort, any way, thanks for the "kind?" words (did you realy want me to eat used flypaper?)
I just wanted to correct your comment that it was a "sticky" problem, nope, she said "trickey" several times.
I realy don't appreciate people that stoop to cheap computer tricks to make some point.
Anon "substantive facts" please cut it out.
Spectator,
i visit this blog on occasion. mainly to read ann's posts. i'll skim the comments sections but it's usually just the same tired rehash, talking point spin on both sides of the issue. i rarely post so, if you'll excuse me, i'm not going to bother signing up for a name. i supported the recall and i support our current CSD and believe it or not, i'm a republician(well actually a libertarian but i usually vote republician). in 1998, i voted against the formation of the CSD because i knew whatever project the solutions group was going to come up with, it would probably take 5-10 years and whatever they had in mind, the delay would make it more expensive. somewhere in here, i think you ask us if "we were all duped". you are right. we were duped. big time. but, it wasn't last year. it was in 1998 when pandora and the solutions group promised us cheaper, better, faster(i hate to quote the doofus that's been spoofing you and Shark Inlet but the point is valid and it's exactly why i voted against the formation of the CSD in the first place).
i actually came in here to call you on your last post. i try not to get sucked into these blogs but i'm a bit meticulous and it bothers me to see misstatements.
the misstatement you make in your last post is #7 when you say "joey has been rejected". this one i just can't let go cause let's face it, the only people rejected over the course of the last year are Stan Gustafson, Richard Legros, Gordon Hensley, and the solutions group Tri-W project. joey was acquitted.
am i a fan of joey racono? hell no. i think he is an environmental extremist whacko. other than the recall and the tri-w project, i'd probably disagree with him on every other issue. is joey the one who is spoofing you and Shark Inlet? maybe. maybe not. the truth of the matter is, who really gives a damn? although, i hate to admit, i'm finding the posts a bit rude but also quite entertaining (on a scale of 1-5, i'll give them 4 chuckles). i don't expect you to take my advise. but, if you ignore them they will go away. believe me, whoever is spoofing you is sitting on pins and needles waiting for your response so they can come back at you.
as far as sophistry goes, with all respect, takes one to know one. i could take apart almost everyone of your posts, but like i said, i'm not about to waste my time getting burried in a blog like this and letting it suck the life out of me. incase you haven't figured it out yet, 99.9% of people that visit this blog are the people who disagree with you, the people who agree with you, and yourself. this is who is listening to you. seems like kind of a waste of time doesn't it? you think the people, who have been turned off by the extremists that have divided our community, are wasting their time in here? nope. they are out doing stupid stuff like going for sunset or moonlight walks, stupid stuff like spending time with their families, they don't have time to argue with people who only talk and don't listen. admittedly, i've been coming in here a bit more than i usually do. i think ann has been posting more than she usually does. to be quite honest, i've been following the spoofing saga and came in here tonight for the comedy. i've changed my mind Spectator, don't ignore the spoofer. i need a good laugh at least once a day. sorry, my boss just walked in the door(my wife the love of my live). see ya.........
To Mike Green:
I apologise. Perhaps fly spots on the computer screen. Your "tricky" became "sticky". Or maybe the contemplation of "smart pills" is warping my vision. Perhaps "eye-asstic" nerve problems are transmitted by reading blogs.
Fly paper is not good to eat, I would never want you to do so. I guess the analogy did not "fly". In the future I will try and stay away from analogies.
To anonymous 8:31, 3/22/06: The two worst votes I have ever made were for Ross Perot in a Presidential election and for the initial creation of the LOCSD. I was "dupped" in both cases and readily admit it. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and I learn from my mistakes. And yes, this blog is a waste of time, but I am glad you are getting entertainment from it! A chuckle a day is better than an apple. Probably only ten people read this blog, and minds are not changed, only egos stroked.
You supported the recall, and we suffer consequences. Shortly, we may go back to day one, and our exercise in community self rule will end. WE will be poorer, sadder, but much wiser. Perhaps you saw this whole prediciment coming. I did, and it did not come from a crystal ball. It came from watching and listening at LOCSD meetings, reading law suits, reading water law, reading pronouncements by the water boards, and reading documents prepared by the solutions group instead of apathy. I measured political will, and still measure it. To absolutely no avail. Clearly sophistry of purpose, I admit it. We can all be dupped.
You were not dupped, when you voted for the recall, you understood the consequences, saw the lies and false promises, and wished the situation to go back to the county who had the resources to fight unfunded mandates, and dance the dance for more money, and thereby cost individuals far less. You understood that facts would prevail, and that government can have a very heavy hand inforcing the law.
I voted against the recall because I understand the nature of the law, government agencies, and did not wish to waste resources.
We are now in the hands of the courts.
Thank you for your post. Your opinion is respected, and I thank you for your time in writing.
Spectator, No problem, peace mike green
Post a Comment