Calhouns Can(n)ons

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

On the front page of the June 24 Tribune, amazingly and wonderfully in the same slot as the original story and with the same sized headlines – not buried in the minute “correction” section -- the Tribune notes in headlines, “Activist’s words not a threat, CHP says,” then goes on to note that the “threatening statements” made to Assemblyman Blakeslee’s staff by Al Barrow wasn’t a “threat,” --as in a threat of “physical harm or damage to property” – but more of a “threat of political protest.”

The Tribune continues, “Barrow said Friday that his statements to the assemblyman’s staff were focused on criticism of Blakeslee’s negotiations to have the county take over the town’s controversial sewer project.”

Having seen many of Mr. Barrow’s angry, ramped up “criticisms” and “political protests” at numerous CSD meetings, Mother Calhoun stands behind her previous posting: “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.”

The legislation Mr. Blakeslee is working on that Mr. Barrow was politically protesting will have to be studied carefully by everyone. It may turn out to be a boon or a boondoggle, since the devil is ALWAYS in the details. The legislation may fail out of the box or the language may get modified before the deadline or if any of the major players walk away. At this point, it’s not clear to Mother Calhoun whether the CSD actually IS a party to Mr. Blakeslee’s legislation or merely the poor relative whose fate is being decided for him in a back room deal being cooked up by his rich, powerful Uncles in Sacramento and SLOTown.

Either way, cool heads are what will be needed here in Sewerville. And Blakeslee’s scheduler has nothing to do with any of it.