The Other Side

Of Guns and Granddaughters

            Having written about securing one’s guns last week, I felt it was important to have an updated conversation with my 12 year old granddaughter Lauryn, who is a frequent visitor to my home. So last week, I sat her down and we talked about guns. I told her that if she were to ever see a gun, come across a gun or see someone with a gun, the first thing to remember was not to touch it.  The second thing was to immediately go tell an adult.

            I told her about the tragic accident in Vacaville where a boy shot and killed his two year old sister. I wanted to convey to her the seriousness of this subject and how life could change in an instant with a gun in the wrong hands.

            My girlfriend Cathi’s daughter, Sheryl, is Lauryn’s mother. Sheryl had Lauryn with her first husband. Sheryl had Lauryn’s 4 year old brother Kawika (Vika) with Sheryl’s current husband David. Both Lauryn and Kawika’s dads are in Iraq. As one of the main males in the kids’ lives, I feel an obligation to help nurture them. It’s a frustrating yet rewarding experience and my hat is off to parents who do this very tough job.

            Less than twenty four hours after the conversation I had with Lauryn on gun safety, I was horrified when Lauryn told me, “A boy brought a gun to school today. He showed it to me in 2^nd period.”

            Have you ever felt like your heart was going to beat right out of your chest?

            Without missing a beat she went on to tell me how she was crying in 4^th period because the kid got busted with the gun and all of her friends thought she’d snitched.

            “You didn’t tell?” I asked, incredulous.

            “No. Well, I was going to tell someone at lunch but he got caught with it before I could.”

            I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like some sick cosmic joke. I’d had a discussion with her on guns less than 24 hours earlier and she was shown a gun in school the very next day. Yet, she didn’t do anything. In fact, what she was worried about was that her friends thought she’d turned the boy in! In reality, the boy had pulled the gun on a rival in a dispute over a girl and had gotten caught by a teacher.

            I wanted to slap the crap out of her. I wanted to throttle her. If I could not get through to her on a matter of life and death, then what of all of the other topics we’d discussed? What was the use of talks on sex, drugs, grades, academics, self-respect and tolerance if matters of life and death didn’t register?

            I’d run straight up against the power of peer pressure and lost. It left me reeling.

            But we continued on. I tried to impress upon her the seriousness of the situation. We had further discussions about guns and safety. I talked to her about her responsibilities. We talked about “snitching.” I educated her about Columbine, which she’d never heard of. I even showed her graphic pictures of school shootings to convey that this is real.

            All I can do is keep trying to get through to her. Giving up is certainly not an option.

Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

Fairfield Police arrested 44 year old Johnny Harris in the Westside Burglar case. They believe he is responsible for the spate of burglaries in West

Fairfield.

If Mr. Harris is the lowlife who has been violating the premises are Fairfield residents in the wee hours of the morning and carting off their property, he should consider himself lucky by this turn of events. It could've ended a different way, like his head rebounding off the business end of a Louisville Slugger. Or a dog using his testicles as a chew toy. Or worse: demonstrating that human tissue is no match for a hollow point bullet.

Residents will be able to sleep better and feel safer in their homes knowing this dirtbag is tucked away behind bars. Of course, he won't be the last piece of scum who feels it's easier to take what you have than work for what he wants.

So residents need to remain vigilant. It would be great to have Neighborhood Watch groups set up throughout the city but let's face it, a lot of people don't even know their neighbors. So until that can be organized, be that one person Neighborhood Watch. We need more Gladys Kravitz's in neighborhoods throughout the city. We need people ready to call the police with descriptions and report crimes in progress.

Kudos to police for making this arrest. One more miscreant off the streets.

Tomato Fee OK by Me

A Fairfield resident wrote a letter to the editor last week that implied

that a blog I wrote about the Tomato eating contest at this year's Tomato Festival was in indictment of the entire festival. That's not true. My blog referred to the tomato eating contest that my brother, Tony, and I were involved in.

My criticism of the tomato eating contest wasn't meant to discredit the festival. We just wanted to make the event even better.

But nowhere did I criticize the $2 fee to enter the tent to sample and buy the variety of heirloom tomatoes.

Tenbrink Farms does a great job with the Tomato Festival. They've worked with local charities and organizations like the Matt Garcia Foundation. I'd hate for them to receive any negative publicity especially with my name wrongly attached to it.

The Tomato Festival is an important part of Fairfield's identity and serves to bring the community together. Charging a small fee that will help local charities or bringing a can of food to donate to local charities seems like the right thing to do at a gathering like this.

I understand times are tough. Everyone is watching their spending. But if $2 for an annual event is a dealbreaker to you, then I really am at a loss as to what to tell you.

Are you tired of Matt Garcia?

 It was inevitable. When the Daily Republic began running a series of articles this week commemorating the one year anniversary of Matt Garcia's murder, I knew some would be bent out of shape about it. You can see their complaints and cruel remarks on the Daily Republic website. Anonymous haters hiding behind their keyboards are spewing accusations about the late City Councilman and some are casting aspersions on his family.

Now I can understand people growing weary of the story. People frequently complain that the media goes overboard on stories. Most recently, the culprit was the death of Michael Jackson.

But instead of complain, why are these folks reading and watching stuff they don't care about? A couple of years ago, a teenaged girl disappeared in Aruba. It was a big story that the media focused on 24/7. I wasn't interested in the story so I can't tell you anything about it. I believe the girl's name was Natalie something. You see, I was interested in the story so I didn't read about it. I didn't watch news programs about it.

I mean, for all the people who have nothing positive to say, what's gone on in your life that you'd be so cruel? Didn't your parents teach you that if you had nothing positive to say, then hold your tongue? A man died. A young man. Way before his time. What does it cost you to give him his due?

Matt Garcia's murder was a shocking blow to Fairfield. It was a stinging loss. The story is how the community has turned a horrible tragedy into something positive. He was a catalyst for a lot of positive things in Fairfield.

Now if you're still sick of hearing about Matt Garcia and don't want to acknowledge his contributions, that's okay. It's a free country. Pick up the paper and go right to the sports section. Ignore every article written about Matt Garcia. Go on about your business. You can believe that it's overkill. You can think it's a waste of ink to print these stories and that we should 'move on.' But is there really a reason that you have to post that?

How does trashing him, his family and legacy help? How does that improve Fairfield? What positive is to be gained from your negativity?

P.S. One more thing....Anonymous posters, you're not really anonymous.

Step Down, DA Paulson

This week a federal jury in Sacramento found that Solano District Attorney David Paulson and his chief Investigator Al Garza unlawfully and maliciously violated the civil rights of Fairfield bailbondsman Joel "Tom" Toler. Both Paulson and Garza were ordered to pay $9,000 each in punitive damages plus court costs.

Paulson and Garza were found to have abused their positions in order to retaliate against Toler. Toler ran newspaper ads critical of the DA and the jury ruled that Paulson and Garza responded by trumping up claims of threats and filing a restraining order against Toler.

Toler was completely within his rights to criticize the DA's office. I've criticized the DA's office in the handling of the Matt Garcia case. Am I to expect some kind of retaliation? Should any citizen have to fear retaliation from government officials after exercising their First Amendments rights?

The honorable thing to do is for Dave Paulson to resign as Solano County DA. How can he continue to serve the public after violating the public trust? You can't prosecute and uphold the law while violating it yourself. His continued presence will cast a cloud over the entire department.

If he does resign, I'll be surprised. These days, violations of ethics and honor that would shame people in other cultures, seem to barely register on the consciences of American political figures. Today, we see public figures involved in all kinds of malfeasance and their main goal is to find some way to cling to power.

Solano County District Attorney David Paulson should resign immediately. Show some decency.

Thank You, Uncle Teddy

What fascinates me most about Ted Kennedy isn't all of his legislative accomplishments, though it's impressive. Kennedy sponsored over 2,500 pieces of legislation. His intense work helped pass immigration legislation that abolished quotas and lifted a ban on Asian immigration. It was
Ted who pushed through legislation in the early 70's that quadrupled cancer research funding. If you have a daughter that plays or played college sports or you played yourself, you have Ted to thank. It was Sen. Kennedy that steered Title IX through Congress that required colleges and universities to provide equal funding for men and women's sports. It was Ted Kennedy who coauthored the Family and Medical Leave Act that required businesses to allow workers to take unpaid leave for emergencies and have a job to return to. And it was the Kennedy-Kassebaum law that allows employees to keep their health care if they leave their job. If you're working for minimum wage, you're benefiting from Kennedy's push to raise that wage to where it is today.

The thing that I admire most about Ted Kennedy wasn't his political views. Ted was an unabashed liberal. He defined liberalism and fought for those positions his entire life. He never triangulated or tried to pass himself off as Republican-lite. You may not have agreed with Kennedy on everything or anything, but you knew where he stood. He wasn't afraid to voice his opinion and fight for what he believed in. He was old school.

No, the thing that most fascinates me about the man and the thing I admire the most about him was that he didn't have to do any of this. His brother was the President of the United States. Another brother was Attorney General and could have been President. Of course, both were killed. Edward Kennedy came from a prestigious, wealthy family and could have simply sat on a bunch of boards, raked in cash and spent his entire life on yachts. He could've went into business. Even without politics he would've had the ear of powerful polticians and business insiders. The fact that he chose public service over private enterprise is amazing to me. Even after he realized he would never be President, he continued on for nearly thirty more years. And he also did it in the face of bitter tragedy and the possibility that he could meet the same fate as his brothers.

Now over the years, many have made fun of Ted. They mention Chappaquiddick, as if that's something funny. They've talked about his drinking and weight and womanizing. Republicans have raised millions of dollars off of Ted Kennedy, as the liberal boogeyman.

He was a flawed man, as all of us are. But when you look at the fact that this wealthy, well-connected man could've rested on his laurels and became the political equivalent of George Hamilton, partying and flying around the globe, something becomes crystal clear: He was the real deal. He really cared about people. And millions of peoples' lives are better because of him.

The (Pre)Teen Sex Blues

Have you ever felt like you were watching someone headed for a cliff and no matter what you say or do, the fall seems inevitable? Sometimes i feel that way with my overdeveloped 12 year old boy-crazy granddaughter.

A couple of weeks ago, the DR ran stories on how casual teens are about sex and STDs. I don't know if my generation was much different. Perhaps today's younger generation is a bit more casual. But pregnancy and STDs in 2009 are a sign of ignorance and incompetence. Access to information is at an all time high.

There was also a November 2008 study that showed that teens that are exposed to sexually explicit programming are twice as likely to become pregnant or impregnate someone.

And of course, "sexting" has been all over the news. This is the popular practice of sending nude or seminude photos of oneself by text message to other people. More than a third of teens in a recent survey say they've received sexually explicit images by text.

How does this apply to my 12 year old granddaughter? She has a steady diet of suggestive music videos and listens to graphic music. "Birthday Sex", "Wetter" and "Touch My Body" are titles of some of her currently favorite songs. I know. I know. But she's not my daughter. If she was, there's no WAY she'd be listening to or watching the things she does.

I once had to alert her mother to the fact that she'd posted a picture of herself on her Myspace page wearing a bra. The pic was removed immediately.

Her father and stepfather are both in Iraq. I do my best to keep the lines of communication open with her and try to keep her on the straight and narrow. Her mother and I don't exactly see eye to eye on what's appropriate and what isn't for her so that makes it really difficult.

If parents want success in navigating these waters with their children, they need to talk to them and listen to them. And most important, parents need to present a united front. If not, you'll send mixed messages.

Sadly, if she goes over that cliff of premature sex and pregnancy, I will be disheartened...but i won't be surprised.

We'll Miss You, Marie!

Marie Callendar's closed? Say it ain't so! I know regular customers are shocked that the eatery has shuttered the doors of its Fairfield restaurant. The sudden closure apparently caught employees by surprise.

Marie Callendar's holds a special place in my stomach. No, I wasn't a regular customer. But when I started writing for the Daily Republic, me and then-editor Bill Buchanan went there for their scrumptious chicken pot pie. And of course, over the years, many of their pies (especially the Double Cream Lemon) have seen their last days riding on a fork towards my piehole.

But what really connects me to Marie Callendar's is that it was the place I almost met the love of my life. I say almost because I stood her up there. Met her on the internet and made plans to meet for pie at Marie Callendar's. Well, I sort of...got cold feet. I did call her to tell her that I wouldn't be there but she'd already left her house in Orangevale. So she sat and waited at Marie Callendars and I was a pathetic no-show.

She got over it. Cussed me out. And we met a few months later at the now defunct J.J. North's. I must've done something right because she's still with me 12 years later.

But Marie Callendar's will always hold that (rather shameful) place in my heart. (Along with the superb place it'll always hold in my stomach.)

For 21 years, the restaurant has been the place for families, lovers, business lunches, and celebrations,  and has served an untold number of pies to hungry Fairfielders. It's been a part of the community. It will be missed.

Is Crime Really Falling?

Yay, crime is falling in Fairfield! Don't you feel safer already? Feel like going to the mall around closing time? Aren't you comfortable now letting your child walk home from school alone? No worries being out after dark anymore, huh?

Alright, I'm being silly. The problem with statistics is that they're just numbers. They don't carry the emotional impact that reading about a cry does. Therefore when we hear that the numbers are down, it doesn't do much for us. Not that we should be less diligent.

But logging onto the DR website, one cant help but be taken aback by the incongruousness (ooh, do I get extra points for using that word?) of the official crime stats and the headlines..

"TEEN AUTO BURGLARY SUSPECTS ARRESTED"
"SUSPECTS ROB WOMAN IN HER BACKYARD"
"POLICE ARREST COUPLE ON DRUG RELATED CHARGES"
"BRAWL AT PARTY LEAVES MAN ON LIFE SUPPORT"
"CHASE IN VAN, ON FOOT, ENDS IN ARRESTS"
"JAIL GUARD ARRESTED ON WORKER'S COMP FRAUD CHARGES"
"FAIRFIELD BRAWL VICTIM DIES"

After reading those headlines, the stats don't mean much. And this is the problem the newspaper faces regularly. There are readers who claim that the Daily Republic plays up the crime in town. There's always the people who complain that the newspaper doesn't cover enough good news and focuses on the negative. Crime sells, is the refrain.

But at the same time, we have people who say that the Daily Republic isn't reporting on all of the crime in Fairfield. Some believe there's some kind of conspiracy to cover up crime. I don't know exactly who that would benefit.

One thing we can all agree on is that Fairfield has taken some concrete steps towards combating crime. PAL is alive and giving teens options. We've seen multi-agency crackdowns and sweeps. We have a tentative gang injunction in place. And we're searching for a new Police Chief. Hopefully, we'll even get a new DA. You can't say we're not trying.

There's always going to be crime to report. The gangbangers, wannabes and hangers-on aren't just going to vanish overnight. The city has had an "Open for Business" sign welcoming criminals for so long that it will take time to get the message out that this is not a crime-friendly city.

But while there will always be crime, that doesn't mean we're not making progress.

Tough Nuts to Crack

            The nutty lady who recently stood up at Delaware Republican Congressman Mike Castle’s town hall meeting and accused President Obama of not being a U.S. citizen reminded me of the doddering old woman at the McCain rally last year who accused Obama of being an “Arab.” I expected to see two men in white coats appear with a syringe telling her it was time for her medication.

            The ‘Birther’ movement believes that Barack Obama is Kenyan and a vast conspiracy is concealing that fact. 

            When I see someone on my TV screen dipping into this particular delusion, it makes me want to say, in hushed tones, “I see crazy people…walking around like they’re regular people. They don’t know they’re crazy. You know the prickly things on the back of your neck? That’s them.”

            This belief has been debunked by Factcheck.org. President Obama has released his birth certificate. WorldNetDaily, a conservative outfit,  conducted it’s own investigation examining Barack Obama’s birth certificate and in an August 23, 2008 article wrote: “A separate WND investigation into Obama's certification of live birth utilizing forgery experts also found the document to be authentic.”

            But the Birthers, like the 9/11 Truthers who believe 9/11 was an inside job and a controlled demolition, aren’t interested in the facts. These are the new 21st century incarnations of the Flat Earth Society. Nuttiness lives. This is a religion. Facts contrary to their belief are minimized or negated entirely. You either believe or you don’t. There would never be enough evidence to convince these people that their delusion isn’t real.

            Hillary Clinton went after Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries with everything but a two by four. If there were any truth to what the Birthers believe, someone connected with her campaign would’ve uncovered it.

            This isn’t just political. There were plenty of Democratic Birthers during the primaries. So it’s not just a Republican affliction. Crazy knows no bounds.

            CNN’s resident xenophobe Lou Dobbs has gotten in on the act. I think he was just jealous that there was a new brand of crazy out there he hadn’t tried out yet.

            We’re to believe that hospitals, doctors, nurses, state agencies, and state government officials are all involved in a conspiracy to hide the fact that the president is not a citizen. Why would Hawaii’s Republican governor want to help elect a Democrat? Barack Obama’s birth certificate has been public record for some time now. And what of the newspaper notice of Barack Obama’s birth at the time in Honolulu? Did Barack Obama’s mother place the notice because she foresaw that her son would one day be President?

            But look at me, delving into facts again. If you’re a Birther just mold the aluminum foil hat a little tighter to your head, take another bite of magic mushroom, pull up your shirt and navel gaze a little more. Stare at shiny objects. Flog yourself. Do whatever the six voices in your head tell you to do. Embrace your inner loon. Who knows what wonderfully entertaining conspiracies you’ll come up with next?