Prop 37 Goes Before Eureka Council

To contact us Click HERE
Way down towards the end of this article on the next Eureka City Council meeting it's mentioned that a report on Prop 37- the genetically modified foods labeling initiative- will be presented.

This shouldn't be city business. At least supporting or not supporting the initiative shouldn't be, if that's the intent. First of all, it doesn't have any direct relation to city business. Second, I'd argue the city council shouldn't be publicly taking a position on any initiative when the people living in the city might not feel the same way.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. Will the council screw up and take a position on Prop 37 as the Board of Supervisors did?

Addendum: Here's an L.A. Times article with interesting info on Prop 37, including a look at its major proponents and opponents.

Why Muslims Protest

To contact us Click HERE
Probably the best analysis I've read on why Muslims attack our embassies and generally just aren't very friendly with Americans, to say the least:

"But, as when a single offensive remark from someone you've long disliked can make you go ballistic, the explanation for this explosion goes deeper than the precipitating event. What are the sources of simmering hostility toward America that helped fuel these protests? Here is where you get to answers that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney wants to talk about and that, therefore, hardly anybody else talks about."

New Panhandling Technique

To contact us Click HERE
Speaking of panhandling, anybody else get a look at the young folks panhandling on the corner of Central Avenue and Henderson at the Eureka Mall just after noon today? They certainly have a different approach to it.

Two guys and two girls, maybe in their twenties. They had a sign that said "Traveling, broke and hungry", or something along that line. The girl holding the sign was a hottie, except for the ring in her nose. The others seemed like just college students and were clean cut with decent clothes on.

They sure got some attention. They ran their operation like those high school car washes although the girl didn't jump and wave the sign around as I often see them do. While she stood there smiling with the sign, the others smiled and waved at passersby, giving out a cheer every now and then. Nothing at all like all the depressed, down- and- out bums we usually see.

They must have done fairly well from all the people that stopped and talked with them. I saw one truck pull over, they let out a cheer when someone in the truck tossed some apples out to them. One girl started eating one right then and there.

Some guy jokingly told me they probably lived right around the corner. I told him I'd never seen them before and they certainly seemed hungry the way that girl munched down on that apple.

Great technique for panhandling and I wish them well. Too bad I couldn't have recorded it.

Free Gary Johnson Signs Available

To contact us Click HERE
I have four Gary Johnson signs as pictured on the left available to anyone who might want one. I also have one of the campaign's Live Free bumper stickers one hand. First one to reply gets it. I also have a couple of smaller bumper stickers made by the folks that made the sign at left. I can deliver in Eureka.


If you'd like the larger signs that the campaign itself offers (at left), those are available through Gary Johnson's Northern state campaign director, Richard Vanier. E-mail or call him at 925-550-6071 and you should get them within a couple days.

Still not thinking of voting for Gary Johnson? Here's a skeptic's case and a liberal's case for him.

Keep in mind Obama is all but guaranteed to win California and all its electoral votes. There's no time like now to waste your vote on the candidate you really want.

Radley Balko Goes Prime Time

To contact us Click HERE
Some of you might remember a post I did on traffic stops and drug dog searches back in April. That post involved an illegal traffic stop in Illinois that Radley Balko reported on.

Looks like a writer from the prime time TV show, The Good Wife, picked up on it and used most of that stop as a scene for the show. The clip even includes the issue of citizens recording police, which Balko has dealt with quite a bit. Pretty cool, someone using stuff from your blog for a TV series, huh?

There's a clip of the tv show stop on Balko's post, plus links to the original Huff video on which the clip is based. When I have more time, I'll watch the whole show.

It's Hispanic Heritage Month

To contact us Click HERE

September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month.
This year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is “Diversity united, building America’s future today.” The theme promotes the benefits of a united and diverse workforce by encouraging reflection on Hispanic-American contributions to the U.S.
Observance of Hispanic heritage began in 1968, when Congress passed a law designating the week including Sept. 15-16 as National Hispanic Heritage Week. By incorporating these dates, the law celebrated the anniversaries of national independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico. In 1988, Congress amended the law, expanding the observance to a month and giving it the name it has today.
The Postal Service has more than 55,000 employees of Hispanic descent.
This year, the Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Hispanic actor José Ferrer.

2011 FSA Claims Due Sept 30, 2012

To contact us Click HERE
September 30, 2012 is the deadline for Flexible Spending Account (FSA) reimbursement claims for calendar year 2011. Expenses include those made during the grace period that expired March 31, 2012.

Employees should send their claims form to: UnitedHealthcare
FSA Customer Service Center
PO Box 981506
El Paso, TX 79998-1506
Or fax forms to 915-231-1709.
For more details, check the FSA pages on LiteBlue. Or call the FSA Customer Service Center at 800-842-2026 8 a.m.-8 p.m. (ET).