On Jan. 29, the city council approved a resolution that included letters to the Marines advising them that their recruiting station is unwelcome in Berkeley. It also called for an investigation into whether the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for homosexuals violated city anti-discrimination policy.

Other portions of the resolution applauded residents who "volunteer to impede" the work of the Marines, and gave Code Pink a parking space directly in front of the Marines' office from noon to 4 p.m. every Wednesday for six months, as well as waiving the fee for a sound permit.

That decision sparked a nationwide outrage, calls to withhold government funding for the city, and an apology and clarification from Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

On Tuesday, the council will hear from Laurie Capitelli and Betty Olds, two council members who are sponsoring a revised resolution that will ask the city not to send a letter to the Marine Corps saying it's unwelcome in Berkeley.

The resolution would reiterate the city's opposition to the Iraq war, while clarifying Berkeley's support of the nation's military servicemembers.

In a joint press statement, Capitelli and Olds said: “We failed to make it clear that while we continue to oppose what we consider an unethical and illegal war in Iraq, at the same time we respect and honor all the brave men and women who are serving or have served in the military … We have erred by not adequately differentiating between the war and the warriors.”

Capitelli and Olds also said in the press statement: “The recommendation to inform the Marine Corps recruiting office that they are not welcome in our city, was insulting, hurtful and wrong.”

The council's initial Marine Corps motions prompted a backlash from lawmakers in California's capital, Sacramento, and Washington. There have been calls to withhold state and federal funds — including $2 million in federal money earmarked for ferry service and school lunches, among other things — as well as an apology from Berkeley's mayor.

"Let me be absolutely clear that this is not about the men and women who are serving our country in our armed forces," Mayor Bates said on Feb. 1. "I am a retired U.S. Army Captain and I respect the choice of those who are serving our country.

"However, this community strongly opposes the war in Iraq and the foreign policy of the current administration."

He added: "I understand that there are people across the country that may not agree with this action, but it is the Berkeley City Council's responsibility to represent the will of the people of Berkeley."

That argument didn't fly with California Assemblyman Guy Houston, a Republican, who asked last week that $3.3 million in state transportation funds be suspended until the council rescinds its resolution.

"The Marines, and all of our branches of the military, deserve the honor of our elected officials, not their scorn," Houston said.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Berkeley politicians will also consider measures that would condemn the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border as well as a request to Canadian leaders to grant sanctuary for U.S. war resisters.

I fully support Assemblyman Houston's recommendation to withhold funding. The BerZerkeley-ites need to put down the bongs and join the rest of us in 2008. While I can agree that we need to take action with our troops in Iraq, I whole heartedly believe we must have our military. To believe otherwise is ludicrous.

If BerZerkeley continues with these resolutions, ALL FEDERAL funding should be cut-off. Let them chew on that for a while...

From News10.net:

A manhunt is underway for the gunman who shot and killed a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop early this morning, officials said.

The sheriff's department identified the deputy as Jeff Mitchell, who spent nine years with the department, six of those years as a deputy. During his other three years of service, he was a recreation specialist.

Sheriff John McGinness described Mitchell as "a fine, outstanding, dedicated officer" and said he left behind a wife and 6-year-old son.

Mitchell made a traffic stop in south Sacramento County at 3:37 a.m., McGinness said. When he failed to report in as expected, other deputies were sent to the scene at Dillard and Meiss roads. There they found Mitchell, who had been shot in the head. He was transported to U.C. Davis Medical Center where he died, according to a nursing supervisor.

McGinness said it appeared Mitchell was attempting to take the driver into custody when he was shot.

Investigators with the sheriff's department, Elk Grove Police Department, Amador County and the California Highway Patrol are searching for a person near Sloughhouse off of Jackson Highway. They believe the gunman may have fled in a white Chevrolet van. Investigators are stopping cars traveling along Dillard Road trying to find the person responsible.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 471-1700 or (916) 874-6500.

News 10

I can only hope that the person or persons responsbile for this crime is brought to justice. Frankly, the justice should be administered via a needle.

According to fellow blogger Craig DeLuz, Eric Hogue is being replaced. Hogue currently hosts the morning conservative talk show on KTKZ.

Hogue played a key role in the recall of former Governor Gray Davis. Now what, KTKZ got their ratings up and suddenly think they are large enough to dump their anchor? KTKZ is a Salem owned stattion.

Craig DeLuz has given us a contact; edwarda@salem.cc. Send this guy an email and let him know you want Eric to Stay.

Starting tomorrow, the California Highway Patrol will begin a 48 hour mandatory "Stand-Down". Over the last five months, the CHP has experienced the painful death of six officers.

From FOX 40 News:

SACRAMENTO � Shaken by the deaths of six patrolmen since last fall, the California Highway Patrol on Monday required its field commanders to review safety procedures with their officers.

The statewide "stand-down" will be in effect for two days for the CHP's 108 field offices but will not affect deployments or service, CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said during a news conference.

Brown said the rarely used action also will give officers the chance to vent their feelings. He said there was "a lot of anger" within the department over the rash of deaths, the latest of which came over the weekend when a Southern California motorcycle officer was struck by a suspected drunken driver during a traffic stop.

"We have been struggling with this internally," Brown said.

The stand-down applies to the department's 7,287 uniformed officers and its 3,112 non-uniformed personnel. Over the 48-hour period, field commanders will set aside several hours to discuss the events with their officers, reviewing the department's safety procedures and identifying any potential problems in policies or training.

While the CHP claims that even though there will be many officers in meetings, it will be "Business as usual" for them. I think tomorrow's "Stand-Down" will be a great tool. Officers and other personnel will have an opportunity to voice concerns and make recommendations to their supervisors.

It will be interesting to see if the CHP takes the information gathered over the next 48 hours and does something constructive with it.

A local Sacramento school is recommending that children walk to school.  Regency Park Elementary which is part of the Rio Linda Union School District, is asking parents NOT to drive their kids to school.  In an effort to keep children away from moving cars, the school is redesigning it's drop off and pick up policy.

In a letter sent home to parents, it starts off with the following paragraph:

  We are encouraging all families living in the Regency Park Community to allow their students to walk to and from school each day.  Kids today don't have as many opportunities to be as physically active as they once did.  At school, physical education time is just 200 minutes every two weeks and is not conducted by a specialist.  Today's children have a wider variety of television programs and video games to entertain them.  These realities are keeping kids from getting regular phyisical activity and may be contributing to a growing number of overweight children, which has increased by 63% over the past 30 years.

We received a seven page handout outlining the schools plan.  You can view it here in .PDF format.

Ok, so it sounds like I am complaining about something good the school is attempting to do.  Wrong!  That's not it at all.  I am all for the fact that the school wants to implement an enviroment that is more safe for our children. 

What I am against is the fact that the school is pushing us to have our children walk to school.  This program needs to be thought out further before they implement it.  Children who are in the First, Second, or even Third grade should not be left alone to walk to school unless it is absolutely necessary.  It is a parents choice and NOT the schools.  Are they going to provide security or protection for my children as they walk to school?  No. 

There are dangerous and vile people out there who prey on kids walking alone.  I went to Megan's Law website and put in the two zip codes that cover my general area and the area my children would have to pass through to get to school.  The database located three individuals that my kids would have to go right by twice a day.  Uh, I don't think so! 

This blog called both Regency Park Elementary School as well as Rio Linda Union School District for comment.  Both declined.  One cited that they were looking in to the matter due to the influx of telephone calls. 

In closing, I am in no way against our children getting additional excercise.  Nor am I against a safer enviroment around vehicles.  I am against the school trying to persuade parents to have their children walk to school so they have less vehicles to deal with. 

On the "Driving Around the School" map on the PDF, they make a statement,  Driving around the school, "IF YOU MUST", follow this path.  "IF I MUST", you're damn skippy I must...

Michael Morales, 46, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal
injection at San Quentin State Prison for murdering 17-year-old Terri Winchell of Lodi in 1981 by trying to strangle her, beating her with a hammer and stabbing her. Morales was also convicted of raping her.

In one appeal, Morales claims his death penalty was based on allegedly false testimony by a jailhouse informant.

That appeal and an emergency motion for a stay of execution were filed with the U.S. Supreme Court this morning by attorney David Senior of Los Angeles. Morales has admitted he murdered Winchell, but claims he should not have been given a death penalty.

In the second high court appeal, Morales claims the state's procedure for lethal injection executions is unconstitutional because there is a risk that he could suffer extreme pain. Attorney Richard Steinken of Chicago said defense
attorneys plan to file that appeal in the high court in early afternoon.

As a result of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose last week, the state for the first time will have an anesthesiologist present in the execution chamber to make sure Morales is unconscious and unable to feel pain.

From FOXnews:

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. � The state on Tuesday postponed indefinitely the execution of a condemned killer amid a court battle over the state's method of lethal injection and the role doctors may play in the death chamber.

State officials notified the federal courts they would be unable to comply with a judge's order to have a medical profesional administer a lethal dose of barbiturate to Michael Morales in the execution chamber, a court spokeswoman told The Associated Press.

Morales, 46, was supposed to die by lethal injection at 12:01 a.m. But the execution was put off until at least Tuesday night after the anesthesiologists objected that they might have to advise the executioner if the inmate woke up or appeared to suffer pain.

"Any such intervention would clearly be medically unethical," the doctors, whose identities were not released, said in a statement. "As a result, we have withdrawn from participation in this current process."

U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel gave prison officials a choice last week: bring in doctors to ensure Morales was properly anesthetized, or skip the usual paralyzing and heart-stopping drugs and execute him with an overdose of a sedative.

It's amazing to me that a US District Judge could have ZERO common sense. To issue this type of order, must have the family and friends of Terri Winchell up in arms. I would be willing bet that Morales did not give Terri Winchell anesthesia...

As most of you are aware, there has been an uproar in the Blogosphere regarding a post made by fellow blogger (and good friend) Sacto Dan. Sacto Dan wrote a post entitled "Republican State Senator Cox Backs Mileage Tax". Sacto Dan issued a correction and then during an interview on The Eric Hogue Show, Senator Cox stated his position and a few shots were taken.

I put up a post on this issue and the comments have been flying.

In a very well written post, local talk show host Eric Hogue gives us his take on the Sacto Dan and Senator Cox situation.

When you bloggers, (and that includes me, as a blogger and a radio talk show host), decide to 'enter the arena' and offer opinions, comments and judgments on elected political officials - and they are wrong - you must expect the venom that comes in return, you must eat crow, crow that is cooked by someone else...it may not taste good!

(Skip)

Dan's headline should have asked a question, rather than make a statement. The question that should be asked, why didn't Sacto Dan call the Senator's office and ask for a clarification? Dan's headline was 'misleading', and he knows it know...and to Dan's credit, he posted a correction immediately Monday morning.

(Skip)

I told Dan, ''you'll have to grow thick skin my friend", and I believe Sacto Dan will. Sacto is determined to be relevant, and being such means you may not be liked, but you will be respected. In the end, the Senator needs to offer no apology.

My final word:

Should Sacto Dan have phrased the title of his BLOG differently? Maybe.

Should Senator Cox have made it personal? No.

But the wonderful thing about this country, everyone can have their own opinion and the ability to voice it...

In what I thought was a very petty display of leadership, Senator Dave Cox-R
questioned the literacy of local fellow blogger Sacto Dan.

Sacto Dan wrote a post entitled "Republican State Senator Cox Backs Mileage Tax". In the post there is an excerpt of the Senator's November 2005 Newsletter. I read the excerpt and it certainly sounds to me that Cox supports the Mileage Tax.

So today on the Eric Hogue Show, I hear Eric interviewing Senator Cox. I
must tell you that I have two issues here:

The first issue is the simple fact that Senator made this personal by
attacking Sacto Dan's literary skills. The second issue is how Eric Hogue
bowed down to Cox. I have always been a fan/supporter of Hogue, but I was
shocked to hear Hogue's comments.

Here is a brief transcript (to my best recollection) this morning on The Eric
Hogue Show:

EH: "You're simply looking for input here, this is not an endorsement"

SC: "...It's regrettable that some people do not have the ability to read and
comprehend."

EH: "Well, and once again, we put Sacto Dan out in the hallway and we're
beating him with a wet noodle. And he will be making a statement here short
order"

Well I think the Senator did a very poor job of choosing his words. Sacto
Dan simply made an observation based on the comments in the Senator's
Newsletter. Hogue led the Senator by his "You're simply looking for input
here, this is not an endorsement" comment.

They go on to discuss the Governors $50 billion dollar bond issue.

In closing Hogue and Cox fire off these comments:

EH: "State Senator, anytime you want me to bang on the Blogosphere, you call my show. I got your back"

SC: "Well, you know. Listen, I think, I just give enormous credits to the bloggers and the work they do. But it's disappointing when you have someone
who can't read and then makes assumptions about what you said. I have real
problems with that."

After searching the Internet, I finally found a copy of Senator Cox's
November 2005 Newsletter. Hearing the passion in his voice this morning
when he was talking to Eric Hogue, and reading his newsletter, I too believe
he the supports the tax.

Sacto Dan has the same letter on his blog as I am showing here. Comments the Senator made in his November 2005 Newsletter:

Financing Transportation Infrastructure

For several years now, experts in transportation finance have been talking
about the antiquated way we finance transportation infrastructure, both roads
and transit. Basically the problem is that we rely on a combination of sales
and gasoline taxes to provide funds, but the taxes do not keep up with
inflation -- especially in the cost of construction of transportation
facilities -- or with the increased fuel efficiency of cars. It also makes no
sense if we decide that we want to reduce the use of fossil fuels such as
gasoline to improve our air quality.

I recently read an interview with Professor Martin Wachs of U.C Berkeley, a
respected expert on transportation issues. He is the former Director of the
Institute of Transportation Studies. Professor Wachs points out that in order
to increase transportation funds, we currently are in the position of
advocating for increased sales of gasoline. He advocates a switch to a more
direct user fee based on the number of vehicle miles driven by each vehicle
registered in the state. There are technologies being tested which would
report a vehicle's miles driven and collect a fee while not maintaining a
record of overall usage. This would satisfy privacy concerns. He also
advocates the use of High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, which would create
additional highway lanes and charge for their usage based on the time of day.

The leaders in the Legislature are talking about ways to increase funds for
our state's infrastructure needs. There will be large bond proposals
introduced in the Legislature early next year.

I am interested in your reaction to these types of proposals. Should we sell
more bonds? Should we raise gas or sales taxes? Or should we consider more
innovative approaches? Send me your thoughts on the different methods of
financing this critical need.

It sounds to me like the Senator is asking for input and at the same time
voicing his support of this Mileage Tax.

I think Senator Cox needs to issue an apology to Sacto Dan and display it on
the Senator's website. But that's just my opinion.

I think my fellow bloggers have done an excellent job of covering the special election here in California. But, there is one proposition that as a parent I must endorse.

Proposition 73:

What can I say...

Lastnight, at the Arden Fair Mall, they held their "Trick or Treat Street". Basically this is businesses in the community helping children by giving back. This was sponsored by Adren Fair Mall, 107.9 FM The End, and Kindercare.

I would like to start off by saying that I think they did a fabulous job in organizing this function. There had to be a couple thousand children in attendance, and of course there my wife and I were with our two youngsters. Usually when it comes to a community function, I will take it for what it's worth and not complain. However, in this case, since this is my own blog, I am going to take this opportunity to complain a bit.

I was surprised to see that there were alot of orange papers hanging in the windows of quite a few merchants. On the piece of paper, was the outline of a pumpkin, and the words "Sorry, we are all out of candy". I found this a bit odd as the function just started and they were all out. It wasn't like they had a mad rush, ran out of candy, and slapped up a hand written sign. No, these signs were prepared in advance. So as we made our way around the mall, there were more and more of these signs in windows.

I thought, ok, smaller stores may not have the purchasing power ($40 - $50) that the large anchor stores would. Well guess what, not one of the anchors gave out candy. I was floored. At this mall Sears, Macys, JC Penny, and a Nordstroms are the anchors.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to get something for nothing. But if the mall is having a function geared toward children, I think the anchor stores should participate. I have been in retail management for the past 15 years, and every year we do something for the kids to help make their Halloween a safe one. Listed below are just a few of the stores that did not participate. The list is NOT complete as I could not remember all of them, but here are a few:

Sears
JC Penny
Macys
Nordstroms
Pearl Vision
Zumiez
Lady Foot Locker
Kids Foot Locker
Bonsai Gifts
Apple
Radio Shack (Handed out candy, but one girl kept telling the other, "Hurry up and give them hand fulls so we can quit early)
Nextel

As a parent I am very thankful to everyone that participated in this function. As a consumer, I am very disappointed in the stores that did not. I will certainly be voicing my disappointment in those stores to friends and family.

It appears that I am not the only person with this opinion on the subject. Fox News is reporting that Senate, when they return, will be taking up this very issue. Only on a Federal basis. But it is a start.

Currently there are 560 inmates on Death Row (condemned) at San Quentin Prison. I seem to recall reading that the average cost per inmate is $20,000 a year. That is $11,200,000 per year that we're spending to keep these people alive. If they have been convicted, had an opportunity for an appeal, lost the appeal, then carry out the sentence and use those monies for education or something constructive. Don't get me wrong. Everyone deserves their day in court and to a fair trial, but at some point enough is enough.