These are my choices for the California Primary election on the west side of L.A. These aren't endorsements, and in some cases I'm voting for Democrats or independents, either because they are objectively the best candidates; because they have the best chance of ousting bad incumbents; or because they are running unopposed. I've done minimal research on some of the races, i.e. judge.
Voting cheat sheet
Senator 1: Mark Meuser
Senator 2: Mark Meuser
Mayor: Rick Caruso
City Attorney: Richard Kim
City Controller: Kenneth Mejia
City Council (11): Traci Park
LAUSD: Tracey Schroeder
State Senator (24): Ben Allen
State Assembly (42) Lori Mills
House (32): Aarika Rhodes
Ballot Measure BB: No
Suprevisor (3): Bob Hertzberg
Sheriff: Alex Villanueva
Assessor: Sandy Sun
Judge (3): Sherilyn Garnett
Judge (60): Abby Baron
Judge (67) Ryan Dibble
Judge (70): Renee Chang
Judge (90): Leslie Gutierrez
Judge (116): David Gelfound
Judge (118): Keith Koyano
Judge (151) Karen Brako
Judge (156): Carol Elswick
Governor: Michael Shellenberger
Lt. Governor: Angela Jacobs
Secretary of State: Rob Bernosky
State Controller: Lanhee Chen
Treasurer: Jack Guerrero
Attorney General: Nathan Hochman
Insurance Commissioner: Greg Conlon
Board of Equalization: Y. Manvel
Superintendent: Jim Gibson
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
