Calhouns Can(n)ons

Oh, Please Don’t Tell Mother Calhoun That It’s Necessary To Explain THIS To Anyone . . .?

The Tribune reported on Wednesday, June 21, that the morning after the County Board of Supervisors met to vote to participate in the Blakeslee Breakthrough Proposal, “A well-known Los Osos sewer activist,” Al Barrow, went to Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee’s office and, according to Mr. Barrow, “criticized Blakeslee’s recently announced plan” to 19 year-old scheduler, Audrey Crescenti, who said, “He was so aggressive and agitated that I was frightened by his threat.” [to “attack the office”] and called the Highway Patrol, which is responsible for protecting members of the state Assembly and Senate.

Sigh.

As one who has been the recipient of Mr. Barrow’s aggressive agitation (i.e. being yelled at on the street by Mr. Barrow while leaving the old Bay News office and getting into her car) Mother Calhoun can certainly sympathize with Ms. Crescenti.

Sigh some more.

Apparently, someone in Los Osos needs for Mother Calhoun to explain something to a certain someone, so listen up:

Mau-Mauing is an old political tactic that’s beautifully outlined by Tom Wolfe in his hilarious book, “Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers.” But more than a political tactic, it is primarily a piece of theatre. And as such, in order to work properly, it must be GOOD theatre.

Mau-Mauing an assemblyman’s 19 year-old scheduler about legislation or policy is BAD theatre and makes about as much sense as Mau-Mauing the young lady behind the Gottschalks cosmetics counter because the refrigerator you ordered a month ago arrived with an ice tray missing. Cosmetic clerks don’t have anything to do with refrigerators; schedulers don’t have anything to do with legislation or policy.

Plus, harassing 19 year-olds is always bad form. Always.

Unless, of course, they’re your kids and haven’t done their chores yet.

Happily, %99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 of all the people who live in Los Osos understand this. And I’m sure will join with Mother Calhoun in offering our collective apologies to Ms. Crescenti and the entire staff at Mr. Blakeslee’s office. .