(Go ahead and join the discussion on this topic on The Liberal OC... There are plenty more words of wisdom to be found! : ) - promoted by atdleft)
OK, get ready for this... I AGREE WITH A REPUBLICAN AGAIN! This time, it's about SB 227. Senator Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) wants to mandate community service for high school graduation, and GOP consultant Adam Probolsky speaks out against this bill in "The Orange Grove" column in today's OC Register. And you know what? I agree with him here:
The first thing that struck me about this legislation was its complete ignorance or misunderstanding of the high school student mind. Harman wants teenagers to learn to appreciate community service. So what does he do? He makes it an obligation. I don't know about you, but my high school classes were monotonous, the homework was annoying, and I worked part time. Community service? Well, I left that up to the kids who felt they needed to supplement their otherwise unremarkable college applications. If I were required to complete community service, like one of my wayward colleagues avoiding Juvenile Hall, I probably would have resented every second of it.
Sure, it seems high-minded to require high schoolers to get out and learn some valuable lessons about community service... But does this really accomplish that goal? I doubt it, and I'll let a good friend of mine tell you why after the flip...
By now, most of you have figured out that our redesign and the press release we sent out regarding our acquisition by Red County magazine was an April Fools prank.
A lot of people smelled the prank right away, but a few people (including one very good political reporter at the Orange County Register) were a little slow on the uptake.
OK, so I'll admit that it took me about two minutes after the first glance of that press release to realize that this was THE BEST APRIL FOOLS' JOKE EVER...
But poor Peggy Lowe at The OC Register actually CALLED MATT CUNNINGHAM TO CONFIRM THE BUYOUT!
So, as the old-school reporter that I am, I called Matt Cunningham early this morning seeking confirmation on this Blue Minority deal... He called me back and all I could hear was laughter.
Yep, I fell for it. And no, the Red County boys aren't taking over The Liberal OC. Guess it was the blogosphere version of the whoopee cushion. Still waiting for a return e-mail from Mike Lawson, the jokester.
Friends don't let friends blog until the second cup of coffee is in the bloodstream.
So you still can't believe how big this got? Follow me after the flip for more...
OH. MY. GAWD. Mike Lawson just sold The Liberal OC to Red County/OC Blog! Yes, you heard me right... The Liberal OC sold out to the GOP Machine! Say goodbye to whatever bit of progressive action that we had in Orange County, as it has been co-opted by the vast right-wing conspiracy.
Follow me after the flip for more on this heart-wrenching tragedy...
Hmmm... I didn't notice this in yesterday's OC Register:
A state law allowing voters to challenge at-large elections systems on the basis that they dilute the strength of minority voters will stand, after the California Supreme Court declined to review the case Wednesday.
The high court's refusal to hear the case leaves intact an appeals court ruling that upheld the 2001 California Voting Rights Act.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights sued the city of Modesto in 2004 on behalf of Hispanic voters there, charging that electing city council members to at-large seats instead of from districts diminished the strength of their votes. Though the city is one-quarter Hispanic, just one Hispanic has been elected to Modesto's five-member city council since 1911.
So what does this mean for municipal elections in California? Follow me after the flip for more...
This just in from The Liberal OC! Mike Lawson's birthday is TODAY, and they want YOU to celebrate:
Thursday is the usual day for our weekly Drinking Liberally event. It is also the day that we at TheLiberalOC and Drinking Liberally OC have decided to Celebrate Mike Lawson's 26th Birthday, which was on Monday. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher and Celebrate Mike Lawson's 26th Birthday. We will have cake and some other refreshments from Memphis while they last. That and the political discussion will be at no charge, the drinks are on you. So Join us:
This Thursday, 8:30 pm onward
at Memphis Bar, 201 N Broadway, Santa Ana (Artists Village) (map)
Now can we count on you to make Mike Lawson's birthday extra special? Come on now, all you SoCal people! Come to Memphis (in Downtown Santa Ana), and wish Mike the happy birthday that he deserves! : )
- Anaheim's Disney Dilemma... Now in Court! The Plaintiff: Disney, who insists that housing in the resort district would not fit in with the hotels and tourist venues planned for the area. The Defendant: The City of Anaheim, who insists that the city has the right to determine what fits in the resort district... And now, residential developer SunCal wants to help pay Anaheim's legal fees. Stay tuned as the Disney Dilemma erupts in court!
- No Longer Lost in Translation. The City of Santa Ana is finally giving its 45% of primarily Spanish-speaking residents a chance to better participate in city council meetings by offering simultaneous translation of its City Council meetings in Spanish. Es muy bien, porque mas personas en Santa Ana pueden participar en los negocios de su ciudad. : )
And finally...
- Curt. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words... So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Mike Lawson's one picture at The Liberal OC says more about the wild and crazy special election fallout than all of my updates combined. Way to go, Mike, you artistic genius. ; )
- CUSD to Cease Paying for Ex-Superintendent's Legal Bills... So why would they continue to pay the legal bills for this guy, when he has causedso much grief for all the parents, students, and staff at the school district?
- "We Met, But Not for Sex." Defendant Jeff Nielsen took the stand in his own defense in his child molestation trial, testifying that he never had sex with a 14 year-old Westminster boy. He tried to explain away an email asking the boy to meet him for "something quick" as a quick lunch date, even thought the email never mentioned food. Hmmm... This sounds fishy to me...
And finally...
- Mike Lawson Is Famous!! OK, maybe not beyond the county line... But still, I am thrilled to see him featured in this month's "BLADE" magazine for making Drinking Liberally-OC happen every Thursday. Now go ahead, and give Mike some love at The Liberal OC for all the hard work that he does!
OK, so it's my birthday today...
And I still have so many things to do...
So here's a new weekend tradition that I'm starting here...
Yes, I'm starting it just for you! SURREAL OC WEEKEND!
Want to see how progressives are answering to DeVore's wingnuttiness, and what a prominent GOP consultant gave me for my birthday, and a special birthday surprise that I'm giving you? Follow me after for the flip for more! : )
I got a telephone call from State Senator Lou Correa today. He asked me to keep the conversation between the two of us and to not post it on TheLiberalOC.com, but he agreed that I had every right to share his reasoning if I chose to do so.[...]
Correa said that his "no" vote was a straight-forward thing. "This resolution missed the mark," he said. "We can't send the wrong message to our soldiers over there."
Until Congress makes the decision to bring home our troops, Correa thinks that we should do all that we can to support them-and opposing Bush's troop surge, in Correa's eyes, is not supportive.
"Are you going to be calling 250,000 people to tell them what made you vote `no' on SJR1?" I asked, referring to the number of voters that are registered in the 34th State Senate District. "I actually represent more that 850,000 people, Mr. Lawson. Thanks for the call," he said before hanging up.
Well, I am certainly glad that Lou finally returned Mike's call. And yes, I certainly appreciate that Lou was willing to talk to Mike, and to me, about this. But still, I would feel much better about this if Lou's office were to just give a public statement about this.
If you happen to live in Central Orange County, and you would like to talk to your State Senator about his Iraq vote, go ahead and give his office a call at (916) 651-4034. Senator Correa seems quite willing now to sit down and discuss this with his constituents. : )
(OK, so Mike Lawson has finally received a response! However, don't expect a public statement for all of you to see. The Liberal OC is keeping up with this developing story. - promoted by atdleft)
(You too should call Senator Correa's office: (916) 651-4034 - promoted by blogswarm)
I'm really starting to get frustrated now, especially after reading this from Mike at The Liberal OC:
At first, I was just expecting Correa's office to release some cowardly explanation of why Correa was the only dissenting Democratic Senator. Last week when I called Correa's Sacramento office I was told that I was the first call regarding the vote, and that they'd work on getting the senator's explanation. No promises.
I was curious why more people against a troop surge hadn't called Correa to seek explanation, so I posted a little something here on TheLiberalOC.com. When I called back, a staffer told me that they were working on a response, and she promised its delivery on Friday of last week.Now it's been eight days since Correa made that lousy vote, and when I called his Sacramento office to see if they were any closer to releasing a press statement, I was given the cold shoulder.
"Are you any closer to releasing the statement?" I asked.
"I can take down your number." I was told.
Come on now, Lou! I know you're better than this. We elected you last year because we knew that whether or not you agreed with us 100% of the time, that you'd always be listening to our concerns. But now, you aren't even listening. Please, please start paying attention. This isn't the way to treat your constituents, supporters, and activists.
What is this nation coming to? What is this county coming to? Whatever happened to our First Amendment right to free speech? From today's Register:
... [O]ne county worker is finding out that political blogging - or blogging for Democrats in Orange County - can also generate blowback.
County officials are investigating blogger Chris Prevatt, who works in the county's health care agency and posts commentaries at the site Liberal OC, for visiting the site during work hours.
And what is their excuse for this "investigation"? More on the flip...
