CM PRESS # 525

[LAST UPDATED: Saturday, November 1, 2008, 6:00 PM --SCROLL DOWN

STOP THE SANTA ANAIZATION OF COSTA MESA

Only 3 candidates running for the Costa Mesa City Council this year seem to understand what is really at stake in our city--RIGHEIMER, MONAHAN, BEVER. VOTE ONE VOTE ALL.

IF THE GANG MEMBERS IN THE PHOTO ABOVE LIVED IN COSTA MESA AND IF THEY COULD VOTE HERE, YOU CAN BET THEY WOULDN'T VOTE FOR RIGHEIMER, MONAHAN AND BEVER. We bet you know who they would vote for.

Only 3 candidates this year realize that Costa Mesa is close to slipping to the level of Santa Ana where a 13-year-old kid walking home from school was recently murdered by gang members who first demanded to know what gang he was with, and then shot him to death on the public sidewalk. Thirteen years old!

The 3 candidates who will help stop such crimes in Costa Mesa are: Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever.

This is not a game, and it's not a lark.

You can listen to some of the candidates spin words and smile and act like this is a contest for class president, but it's not that.

Folks, the CM PRESS was on the scene shortly after a man was shot and killed west of Fairview Road on Baker Street. We were there before the ambulance arrived. We saw the dead man being loaded into the ambulance when it arrived.

The CM PRESS was also on the scene just after another man was shot and seriously wounded in Katrina Foley's Mesa del Mar neighborhood. We were close enough to see the blood all over the sidewalk. In this drive-by, bullets were sprayed across Baker Street and some reportedly hit the block wall on the other side of the street. We're lucky some innocent motorists and their kids driving on busy Baker Street weren't killed.

This is about life and death and the future of Costa Mesa and the safety of you and your kids.

Our violent street crime and our gangs are a product of Costa Mesa being made too comfortable for illegal alien criminals.

Thankfully, because of Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Allan Mansoor, we now have an ICE agent stationed in the Costa Mesa jail.

And, so far, almost a thousand illegal alien criminals have been deported back to their own countries. That's a thousand criminals who would otherwise still be on our streets.

Fewer criminals means less crime, and our crime numbers are now starting to fall.

This is not the time to go squishy and vote as though you're watching American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. This is not a beauty contest. This is not about who can smile the most. This is not about playing gotcha with other candidates. This is serious stuff.

The CM PRESS is going to vote for Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever. We want a nicer, safer Costa Mesa and we're convinced these 3 are the right 3.

We can remember when Costa Mesa was much closer to Newport Beach in being a low crime, high quality of life city.

We can remember a time before the gangs and illegal aliens were allowed to run citizens out of this city. We know Costa Mesa just needs the right leadership--tough on crime people with a proper vision to make this the great city it can and should be.

Your 3 City Council votes count. Don't waste them on do-nothings and know-nothings. Cast all three votes as a single unit for the 3 candidates that most Improvers consider to be the Improvement Team this year: Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever.

When we say, do it for the kids, we're not joking. We don't want any 13-year-olds gunned down on our streets.

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YES ON PROP 8--WORDS MEAN THINGS--'MARRIAGE' MEANS A UNION OF A MAN AND A WOMAN

LINK to Prop 8 Website for more info.

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[Saturday, November 1, 2008, 6:00 PM UPDATE]

FLOPSY FOLEY GETS DESPERATE AND INADVERTENTLY HELPS RIGHEIMER

Flopsy Foley, the soft on crime liberal Democrat in the Costa Mesa City Council election, is getting desperate.

She whined to the almost daily Daily Pilot that Jim Righeimer and Gary Monahan have a representation of a "ballot" in their campaign literature and that this may confuse voters. LINK

The almost daily Daily Pilot dutifully reported the story and also showed a very readable and large version of one of Righeimer's campaign fliers.

Great advertising for Righeimer and he didn't have to pay a penny for it!

Keep up the good work, Flopsy.

How about complaining about Monahan a little more and also have you seen Bever's fliers or his signs all over the city?

Quick, Flopsy, get your pals at the almost daily Daily Pilot on the phone. Say,maybe Monahan and Bever will even supply some great photos of their fliers and signs to the almost daily Daily Pilot.

We at the CM PRESS think this is front page, above the fold news, and we hope the almost daily Daily Pilot shows large photos of Righeimer's, Monahan's and Bever's campaign materials in Sunday's editions.

Say, did we mention that most Improvers believe that Righeimer, Monahan and Bever are the only three candidates in this election who will help improve Costa Mesa for citizens and will help drive down crime and rid this city of gangs?

And, did we mention that Improvers are saying that all voters who are fed up with crime and other problems in Costa Mesa should treat Righeimer, Monahan and Bever as one team and that they should VOTE ONE, VOTE ALL THREE. VOTE THE 3!

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 524

ANYONE BUT FLOPSY KATRINA FOLEY!

The CM PRESS is hard pressed to think of a politician in Costa Mesa over the years who is as bad for the improvement of Costa Mesa and the safety of citizens as Katrina Foley.

The CM PRESS likes straight shooters. We like people who tell the truth and let you know where they stand. We don't like phonies. We don't like those who play with the truth. We don't like those who try to fool voters.

FOLEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED

Katrina Foley is a registered DEMOCRAT.

She has support from her ultra-liberal fellow DEMOCRATS, Linda and Loretta Sanchez.

Yet, the CM PRESS has just received the SECOND voter guide for REPUBLICANS that lists Katrina Foley right next to real Republicans Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer.

Foley had to pay to get her name in these slate mailers and she did so knowing that it was going out to REPUBLICANS. Why? She wants to fool Republicans into voting for her.

[Note: We don't have anything against Democrats, per se. We have family members who are Democrats. What we object to is Foley trying to pretend she's not a Democrat to fool people.]

FOLEY REFUSED TO ASK PRESIDENT BUSH TO SECURE OUR BORDERS

When the Costa Mesa City Council sent a letter to President Bush asking him to secure our borders to make Costa Mesa safe for citizens, the only Councilmember who refused to sign the letter was Katrina Foley.

But, as usual, she tried to fool citizens by saying that she'd send her own letter with better wording to Bush. As far as anyone knows, she has never done this.

FOLEY DIDN'T WANT ICE IN COSTA MESA

Because of the efforts of Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Allan Mansoor, Costa Mesa now has an ICE agent in our jail and the ICE agent has deported almost a thousand illegal alien criminals. That's why our violent crime rate is starting to drop.

Foley now says she was just against cross-training some of our police officers in ICE procedures, but that she's now okay with the ICE agent in our jail. The truth is that if Foley had been listened to early on, we would not have the ICE agent in our jail at all--and those thousand criminals would still be walking our streets!

DO YOU WANT A COUNCILMEMBER WHO HIDES WHO SHE TRULY IS?

Vote "No" on slippery politicians by voting for ANYONE BUT FOLEY. Tell Foley we're fed up with the crime and other problems in Costa Mesa and we want honest Councilmembers who are tough on crime and who won't hide their true agendas.

Foley is also known for cutting City Council meetings to go skiing. On November 4, you can help send Foley on a permanent ski vacation.

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WHO WE'RE VOTING FOR

We're going to vote for Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever because we believe these 3 are our best bets for an improved and safer Costa Mesa.

Do we think these 3 are perfect candidates? Nope. But we're not going to let a desire for perfection stop the good.

If these 3 are elected, we'll be watching them. And, if any of them start getting screwy, we'll be all over them as we were all over a candidate who we once had to help unelect.

We see these 3 as a slate--a unit--a team--bringing in some diverse talents and personal qualities that when added together should help make Costa Mesa a much better city for citizens.

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Those are our opinons. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 523

SQUISHES OUT OF THE CLOSET

Although we left the City Council candidate forum early last night out of disgust at the stupid answers some of the candidates were giving, the almost daily Daily Pilot has a good report on the event--if you know how to read between the lines to what the candidates really think and how some will really screw the citizens of Costa Mesa. LINK

Below, from the almost daily Daily Pilot is what you need to know about these candidates. Our comments are in {}.

JOB CENTER

"Lisa Reedy, Katrina Foley, Bill Sneen and Chris McEvoy all challenged the decision [to close the job center]." {In other words, they want the revitalization of the Westside to stop. The job center was funded by Costa Mesa citizens and it acted as a magnet for illegal aliens who often got jobs with many people from Newport Beach.

{Its presence in the same spot for 17 years helped keep the Westside downscale.

{If Flopsy Foley, Dancing Sneen, The Ostrich Reedy and The Beard McEvoy want a job center, then let them get together with their neighbors right near their homes and ask that a job center be opened within sight of their homes. Phony bags of wind.}

DANCING SNEEN PANDERS

"Although Sneen is not Latino, he showcased his fluency in Spanish. When asked about what segment of the population needed to be better represented he encouraged Latinos to come out and vote and participate in government speaking in both Spanish and English."

{Chances are, Sneen, if they don't speak English in Costa Mesa they may not be citizens and should be deported.}

"McEvoy expressed similar sentiments. He has continually challenged the notion that the Westside of the city, which has the largest Latino population, should be redeveloped into upscale housing, saying that the move would banish an important part of the city’s culture."

{This guy sounds squishy and he hasn't done his homework. He spouts childish twaddle. The reality is that large parts of the Westside are crime ridden slums. Slums and crime are an important part of the city's culture? Nonsense. They're a cancer on the city.}

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THE CHOICE IS STARKLY CLEAR IN COSTA MESA THIS YEAR

You can vote for squishes who will help with the Santa Anaization of Costa Mesa or you can vote for Righeimer, Monahan and Bever who will help Costa Mesa become the great crime free city it should be.

This is not the year to get all theoretical while trying to pick the fly specks out of the pepper. The choice is very clear. The squishes have revealed themselves.

If you vote for Foley, McEvoy, Reedy or Sneen you're voting for turning the safety of your kids over to squishes who will make Costa Mesa into the new Santa Ana. How many more 16-year-old citizen girls must die because the squishes are soft on crime and illegal alien criminals?

A Gang Owns part of Foley and Reedy's neighborhood

A gang now "owns" a major part of Foley and Reedy's Mesa del Mar neighborhood. You may not know this, because the squishes don't want you to know about it, but there are certain streets in Mesa del Mar that are no-go areas for citizens. And, these squishes will allow the same thing to happen in your neighborhood.

If you are a Foley or Reedy supporter, and you live in Mesa del Mar, are you happy about the helicopters overhead almost every night? Are you happy about the murders in your neighborhood? Are you happy about the drive-by shootings near your kids? Are you happy about the graffiti? Are you happy about the gang members hanging out on the street corners?

What have Foley or Reedy done for you? Nothing. All they want to do is plant flowers in front of the slums.

It's the same way in the Shalimar slum. A gang owns that area. And, an area off of Wilson, same thing.

If you put any of the squishes on the dais, don't come whining to us when you start seeing gang shootings right on your street and when your neighbors start moving away or when they start putting iron bars on the windows of their homes.

And, don't think that won't happen. We were headed that way before citizens started voting in tough on crime and improvement minded people to the City Council.

VOTE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT MINDED, TOUGH ON CRIME 3

This year, you have 3 votes. Don't split them if you want a nicer, safer Costa Mesa. Cast those 3 votes for the only 3 on the ballot who will improve Costa Mesa: RIGHEIMER, MONAHAN, BEVER.

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THE PAPERLESS PAPER

The Christian Science Monitor is going to stop printing a paper version. It's going online. LINK

Who's next? Hmmmmm?

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 522

Updated: Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 7:40 PM--scroll down

A CLEAR CHOICE IN COSTA MESA THIS YEAR

Confused about the election in Costa Mesa this year?

The Improvers, who have been behind bringing the ICE agent to Costa Mesa, which has resulted in deporting almost 1,000 criminals, and who shepherded the Westside Revitalization Plan, and who have been in the forefront of efforts to underground the SR-55, and who have been tireless in efforts to stop John Wayne from expanding, and much more, say you only have three choices if you want true improvement to continue: Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan, Eric Bever.

The Improvers believe that with these 3,we can continue driving down crime and driving out gangs and making Costa Mesa the best city in Orange County.

Here' s a short history of the Improvement movement in Costa Mesa

In 2000, a small group of citizens correctly believed that Costa Mesa was on the wrong track.

This wasn't just a subjective opinion. It was based on an objective statistical analysis of our "vital signs"--things such as crime rates, school scores, home prices, etc.

To make sense of the statistics, these citizens compared Costa Mesa with the five cities that surround Costa Mesa and which physically touch some part of our city. These five cities are Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Irvine and Santa Ana.

Among other things, the statistics revealed that:

-Our violent crime rate was higher than any city surrounding us except Santa Ana.
-Our student school scores were lower than any city surrounding us except Santa Ana.
-Our home prices were lower than any city surrounding us except Santa Ana.
-We had more rentals vs. owner occupied residences than any city surrounding us, including Santa Ana.
-We had more gangs, gang violence and related problems than any city surrounding us except Santa Ana.
-We had more of our land zoned for industrial uses than any city surrounding us except Santa Ana.
-We also had a job center funded by Costa Mesa citizens and used by more than a few suspected illegal aliens who provided labor for many Newport Beach citizens.

To many Improvers, it seemed that Costa Mesa was being treated as the other side of the tracks even by some elites living right here in the city.

So, the Improvers decided to try to get things on the right track once again. It was either do that or move to a safer city with responsible politicians and good schools and with a good quality of life. They didn't want to live in a city where all the homes had bars on the windows and where the streets ran red with blood from the latest gang killings.

As they worked to bring in positive changes, it soon became apparent that they would have to get involved in local politics.

To start things off, the Improvers backed Chris Steel for the City Council in 2000. Mr. Steel had run and lost nine times before, and the political pros said he was unelectable.

However, with the help of the Improvers, Steel not only won a seat on the Council, but he did it with more votes than any candidate running that year.

Then in 2002, Allan Mansoor, who had no political experience or name recognition, approached the Improvers and asked for their support. With their help, he won a seat on the Council.

In 2004, Eric Bever, who had been one of the first Improvers, and whose early political experience mostly involved passing out Improvement fliers in front of Home Depot, ran for the Council and won.

In 2006, it was Allan Mansoor 2 and Wendy Leece on the improvement side of things. They won in the face of a well organized, well funded campaign mounted by some of the best known establishment people in the city who were backing two very well known candidates.

Now, we're in 2008 and the Improvers are coalescing around three candidates--Righeimer, Monahan and Bever 2.

The other six candidates in the election are so different from the Improvers in their visions and ideas about Costa Mesa, that this election will offer a very clear choice of two informal "slates" of candidates.

For this column, let's just call these slates the Improver Slate and the non-Improver Slate. Remember, these are our terms. None of the nine candidates may agree with our characterizations at all and not one of them has chosen to be so categorized.

To be clear, in our view, the Improver Slate consists of Mayor Bever, Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer.

And, also in our view, the non-Improver Slate consists of Councilmember Foley and any two of the remaining five candidates: William Sneen, Chris McEvoy, Chris Bunyan, Nick Moss, Lisa Reedy.

Each of the nine candidates says that he or she is against crime, for better schools and for a nicer city. All politicians say such things.

However, scratch the surface a little and you’ll find that some who say they are against crime, don't want the ICE agent in our jail. Some who say they are for better schools, don’t have a clue as to how our schools are doing. Some who say they want a nicer city, mean they want the Westside to be an ethnic enclave, or that they only want nicer street medians.

And, speaking of crime, thanks to the tough on crime polices of the present Improvement majority on the Council, there are approximately 1,000 fewer illegal alien criminals on our streets these days. That may be why our violent crime rate is dropping and why some of our school scores are improving.

The Improvement Slate may not be perfect, but the CM PRESS is convinced that of the nine candidates in this race, these three–Righeimer, Monahan and Bever–will do the most to improve Costa Mesa in truly meaningful ways if they are elected.
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KATRINA FOLEY HAS TO GO!

As you know, Katrina Foley, known as Flopsy around the CM PRESS, is running for reelection this year. We think she's been one of the worst Councilmembers we've had in years.

Foley was the ONLY Councilmember who refused to sign a letter to President Bush asking him to secure our borders.

Foley was the ONLY Councilmember who went out of her way to go to a meeting of day workers, including suspected illegal aliens, and tell them, through an interpreter, that she was on their side.

Foley is an improvement obstructionist.

A vote for Foley is a vote for the Santa Anaization of Costa Mesa. In fact, an alternate nickname for Flopsy Foley is Santa Ana Katrina.

Instead of electing Foley to the Council so she can cut meetings to go skiing, just don't vote for her. Then, she can go skiing all the time.

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NON-PROFIT NEWS

The almost daily Daily Pilot is reporting today that the Share Our Selves non-profit is opening its doors for tours. LINK

A couple of years ago, the CM PRESS visited Share Our Selves. We sat unnoticed in the crowded waiting room for a short time and didn't hear a word of English spoken.

Many activists believe that Share Our Selves is a magnet drawing illegal aliens to the city. We were not disabused of this notion from our visit.

At Share Our Selves, illegal aliens can get free medical and dental care, free bags of groceries, help with paying their rent and utility bills and more.

If you're an employer of illegal aliens, you can pay them off the books and offer no benefits, because your employees can get those benefits by going to Share Ourselves and other non-profits in Costa Mesa.

How much more money would you have, dear citizen, if you didn't have to pay for your medical and dental insurance each month? How much more money would you have if you didn't have to pay for your groceries? Hmmmmm? Maybe, you'd be able to afford a new car such as the CM PRESS sees dropping off the children of suspected illegal aliens at schools each day.

And, speaking of schools. As you may know, children in families below a certain income level get reduced rate or even free breakfasts and lunches at schools in Costa Mesa.

A few years ago, the CM PRESS checked just one school in the city and we were amazed to find that the numbers were something like this (from memory and rounded): Free breakfasts and lunches: 300; Reduced price on breakfasts and lunches: 100; Full price breakfasts and lunches: 50.

Charities that provide a safety net for citizens in our community who are having hard times are to be praised, but when charities draw illegal aliens here and then help support them and make them feel comfortable here, the city begins seeing the negative effects and begins to decline.

Don't get it? See that lone pigeon in your back yard? Feel compassionate? Throw out a little food for it. Check the next day and you'll suddenly find that you have a whole flock of pigeons.

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MONAHAN'S CONTRIBUTION OF $ 7,000 (New--6:20 PM)

On October 23, the almost daily Daily Pilot reported that a $7,000 "contribution" to Gary Monahan's election campaign may have been a payment for services rendered by Monahan instead of a contribution. (LINK)

The person who discovered the alleged discrepency was none other than Bill Sneen who, like Monahan, is trying to win a seat on the Costa Mesa City Council this year.

Well, the whole thing may be much ado about nothing, according to this article in the OC REGISTER. ( LINK)

However, we find it interesting that Sneen was able to comb through Monahan's records and then follow up by actually going to the contributor and asking him about the contribution and then apparently notifying the almost daily Daily Pilot about his suspicions, but that Sneen apparently didn't notice or wasn't concerned enough to go public about the failure of the Costa Mesa High School Foundation--which Sneen has been part of since its inception--to file its required annual reports and audits concerning the million dollars of citizen money that the CMHSF is using.

And, as far as we know, the almost daily Daily Pilot has never reported on this matter.

Yet, the almost daily Daily Pilot was quick to jump on the Monahan non-story.

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LAST CANDIDATE FORUM (Updated 7:40 PM)

The CM PRESS attended the last City Council candidate forum this evening at the Presbyterian Church at 2850 Fairview Road, but we left after about half an hour.

We can only take so many stupid answers from candidates who fell out of bed one day and decided to run for City Council. Some of these characters were never seen at a City Council meeting until they decided to run, yet they sat up on the dais tonight and told the public about how the public should attend more City Council meetings. Geez. Bunch of phony blow hards.

And on substantive issues such as gangs, most of the phony candidates, including Flopsy Foley, know absolutely nothing, yet they pontificated with the usual cliches.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 521

JIM RIGHEIMER
LISA REEDY
CHRIS MCEVOY
NICK MOSS
GARY MONAHAN
WILLIAM SNEEN
KATRINA FOLEY
ERIC BEVER
........................................... CHRISTOPHER S. BUNYAN

Vote for the 3--Righeimer, Monahan and Bever to keep improving Costa Mesa and to stop lefties from making Costa Mesa an illegal alien sanctuary city.

Under the present improver majority on the City Council, almost a thousand illegal alien criminals have been booted out of Costa Mesa. And, our violent crime rates are dropping!

Your vote counts in Costa Mesa. Vote for the low crime, better city 3.

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PROP 8

We're voting Yes on Prop. 8.

Words mean things. We believe that "marriage" means the union of a man and a woman.

For those who want a longer answer, read on. But there's a twist at the end.

You will note that we came to our decision by more of an ontological route than you may be used to hearing.

Breeders?
We find it amusing that some of the most vocal no on 8 proponents refer derisively to male/female couples as "breeders."

Breeders? Yes, that's what we are and that's what we're supposed to be. That's why nature (or God, if you prefer) made us the way we're made. If we weren't supposed to breed, we'd all be male or all be female and we all would have died off millions of years ago.

Breeders are pro-life, i.e. they make life. They expand. They multiply. They are pro-nature.

All gay people had breeder parents. Their parents went forth and multiplied and that's why the gay people who now deride breeders even exist at all.

"Go forth and multiply" is written in nature
Millions of years before humans existed, and millions of years before the "go forth and multiply" command was written in the Bible, nature said go forth and multiply. And, it was said throughout all of existence. Nature has always said the same thing. It has never said, "don't go forth and don't multiply."

Not going forth and not multiplying leads to contraction rather than expansion. This is true on the cosmic level and on the human level. Contraction is anti-life. Expansion is pro-life. One need do no more than observe nature to see this.

One can be an atheist or agnostic
One can be an atheist or agnostic and still arrive at the same conclusion about going forth and multiplying as contained in the Bible.

What is life?
Life (remember, we're leaving out religious concepts) is the conversion of minerals into a form of existence that is self-replicating and which we now understand has expanded and has taken a trajectory leading from the first single cell, to life that has ever higher consciousness, awareness and intelligence.

In our species, the way we go forth and multiply--to make more life like us--is by the union of male and female. There is no other natural way. That's how we pass on "us." The code--the blueprint--for "us" is contained in our DNA.

23 + 23=46=Human life=survival and continued existence
Our DNA is formed into clumps called chromosomes that are in every cell in our body. Human beings have 46 chromosomes. The human male contributes 23 of his chromosomes and the human female contributes 23 of her chromosomes when they make a new life. On those 46 chromosomes are the 30,000 or so genes that are normal for humans and which make each of us, us.

When the 23 and the 23 join to make 46 chromosomes, there is a new human started that is designed to survive and carry the genes forward into the future. That's how one survives and continues to exist--even if there is no spiritual after life. We are our genes and our genes are us.

Nature's way is for us to breed and expand. Not doing that is, by definition, not natural.

Loving v. Virginia
We saw a comment written in support of gay marriage in which it was argued that the Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia, a landmark case that struck down miscegenation laws, should also be applied to gay marriage and thus allow gay marriage.

We find that a stretch because, in Loving, the Court wrote:

"Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man, fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State."

We focus on the phrase "fundamental to our very existence and survival," as the foundation upon which the Court's decision rests.

Those who support gay marriage should explain how homosexual marriage allows for our very existence and survival. It doesn't, and it can't, because existence and survival mean that we multiply ourselves as we discussed above. Gay marriage doesn't accomplish that. Wrong plumbing, as they say in the trade.

It'll take more than Loving
The proponents of gay marriage will probably have to do better than rely on Loving. (Hey, we didn't make this up. That's the family name of the couple involved).

Lawrence v. Texas
A stronger argument for gay marriage can probably be made with Lawrence v. Texas which struck down anti-sodomy laws. But even this is a stretch. (We won't bore you with all the details here, just read the case if you're interested).

Individual freedom
And, this leads some of us who believe in individual freedom to say this: We don't care what anyone does so long as they harm no others, but we see no reason to change the traditional definition of marriage and we believe that doing so will lead to contraction rather than expansion.

In other words, we believe in nature and life.

We argue in the alternative...we will also vote Yes to save Laguna Beach
On the other hand, it could be argued that if it is true that, as many gays now assert, homosexuality is genetic, then allowing gay marriage (and the normalization of homosexuality in society) will tend to have the effect of keeping gays from faking being straight and marrying people of the opposite sex and reproducing. Then, since they aren't reproducing the "gay genes," gays will eventually die off.

This, of course, will leave Laguna Beach partially depopulated and lower home values since demand will be down.

So, this gives us another reason to vote yes on Prop 8--to help save Laguna Beach!
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ANOTHER 75 LET GO AT THE LA TIMES
Link

We have our fingers crossed that the almost daily Daily Pilot survives. Frankly, as we've written before, we think Sam Zell is grooming it for sale. But that's just a guess.

Zell would probably come out best if he completely broke bulk and sold the pieces for as much cash as possible. However, given the times, suitors will probably want a package and generous financing arrangements.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 520

FOR A NICER, SAFER, IMPROVED COSTA MESA

Improvement activists say that the only 3 candidates running for the Costa Mesa City Council this year who will keep driving down our crime and improving Costa Mesa are

Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever.

Cast your votes for these 3, and Costa Mesa will continue being improved.

ALMOST 1,000 CRIMINALS NOW BOOTED OUT OF COSTA MESA THANKS TO IMPROVER MAJORITY!

Remember, it was improvement minded citizens who put the present majority on the City Council and it is the present majority that brought in the ICE program that has now deported almost one-thousand illegal alien criminals out of Costa Mesa.

The result? Our violent crime rate has started falling and gang members are starting to move away.

VOTE FOR THESE THREE AND COSTA MESA WILL BECOME SAFER AND NICER
And, if you elect Righeimer, Monahan and Bever they'll join Allan Mansoor and Wendy Leece on the dais to continue the great steps that have been taken already.

With your votes, citizens will finally have a great, well-rounded and balanced team of improvement minded Councilmembers who will be able to move beyond the divisiveness and petty bickering that marked the Flopsy Katrina Foley era.

FOLEY WOULDN'T SIGN THE LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH!

Instead of having Flopsy Katrina Foley on the dais pursing her lips and saying she would be the ONLY Councilmember who wouldn't sign a letter to President Bush asking that he enforce our border laws, we'll have five people who want Costa Mesa to be safe and improved for CITIZENS.

Instead of reading about Flopsy Katrina Foley meeting with day workers, including suspected illegal aliens, and telling them--through an interpreter--that she's their pal, you'll have five Councilmembers who will be looking out for you and your children.

YOUR VOTE FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS REALLY MATTERS!
When a city like Costa Mesa has been run into the ground by lefties for many years, it takes time to turn it around.

But,thanks to the citizens of this city who see through the smoke and mirrors of the likes of Flopsy Katrina Foley and her wine and cheese pals, Costa Mesa is turning around and is once again becoming more like a great American city and less like a crime filled sanctuary city.

For a nicer, safer Costa Mesa, here's what your eyes should tell your brain about your ballot on November 4.

JIM RIGHEIMER

LISA REEDY,
CHRIS MCEVOY

NICK MOSS

GARY MONAHAN

WILLIAM SNEEN

KATRINA FOLEY

ERIC BEVER

CHRISTOPHER S. BUNYAN

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 519

SNEEN QUESTIONS AN ENTRY ON MONAHAN'S CAMPAIGN STATEMENT

According to the almost daily Daily Pilot today, City Council candidate Bill Sneen spotted a "contribution" of seven big ones on Gary Monahan's campaign finance disclosure statement that raised a question in Sneen's mind. LINK

The issue is apparently whether it's a campaign contribution or a payment for services that were provided by Monahan. Be sure to read the whole article in the ADDP for all the details.

The Pilot reports the relevant part this way:

Competing candidate Bill Sneen noticed the contribution on Monahan’s forms and confronted Monahan and Singh. After getting what he considered to be conflicting explanations from them, he said, he will most likely file a complaint with the state agency within the next few days.

“Gary Monahan has run for many public offices and has been on many city councils,” Sneen said. “He knows better than this.”

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MR. SNEEN AND THE COSTA MESA HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION

In Issue # 506 of the CM PRESS, published on October 9, 2008, we wrote about Mr. Sneen and the Costa Mesa High School Foundation.

Mr. Sneen has apparently been with the CMHSF since its start in 2003 (approximately six years).

In brief, the CM PRESS wanted to know why the CMHSF hasn't filed tax returns for 2006 and 2007 and why the CMHSF has never filed the required annual reports and audits.

Here's the relevant part of CM PRESS # 506 about this:

The CM PRESS attended the Costa Mesa High School Foundation's monthly meeting this past Tuesday, October 7.

One of those in attendance was CMHSF board member William Sneen, who is also a candidate for the Costa Mesa City Council this year.

In his campaign literature, Mr. Sneen states that he is a "Founding Board Member of the Costa Mesa High Schools (sic) Foundation." [That apparently means he's been there from the start.]

During the public comments section of the meeting, the CM PRESS asked a number of questions including the following:

CM PRESS: Where are the CMHSF's tax forms (990's) for the years 2006 and 2007? These are public documents, but the only ones the CM PRESS has been able to find are from 2004 and 2005.

CMHSF: We're working on them.

CM PRESS: Section 5.7 of your By-Laws requires that the CMHSF furnish an Annual Report and Audit to the Costa Mesa City Attorney.

Here's the relevant part of that section:

"Section 5.7 Annual Report and Audit. The board shall cause an annual report to be furnished to the directors and the City Attorney of the City (the "City Attorney") not later than one hundred twenty (120) days after the close of the corporation's fiscal year. The annual report shall be accompanied by an audit thereon of independent certified public accountants which shall be made available to the public. The annual report shall be in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America...." (emphasis added).

CM PRESS: Where can the CM PRESS see the Annual Reports and Audits?

CMHSF: We've never done such reports or audits.

CM PRESS: Why not?

CMHSF: Because it would be too expensive to do them. Possibly around $5,000.

[Snip]

He's insulted

After we asked a few more questions, board member and City Council candidate Sneen said that he was insulted by our questions.

Insulted?

This is the public's money and the public has a right to know what's being done with it. The questions we asked were all intended to get succinct, straight answers for the citizens of Costa Mesa.

[Snip]

The new officers of the CMHSF voted in on Tuesday, are: Tom Wagner, President; William Sneen, Vice-President; Ann Bray, Secretary; Janet Krochman, Treasurer; Julia Lawson, Assistant Treasurer.

[Snip]

POSTSCRIPT: We have now been told informally that the CMHSF is trying to get pro bono Annual Reports and Audits as required by the CMHSF's by-laws, and we've now received an email saying that we can review the last grant request book.

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[NB 1: The CMHSF was set up by the Costa Mesa City Council at their meeting of October 20, 2003. The first full year of the CMHSF was 2004. So, it seems to us that there should be annual reports and audits for the years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. ]

[NB 2: The word "shall," in legal parlance means "you must" do this.]

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UH OH, SOMETHING BAD IS LURKING IN THE SMALL PRINT FOR THE WESTSIDE

At the next no-Planning Commission meeting on October 27, the Commission will vote on some changes to plans for SOBECA and also for the Westside. LINK

Buried in Table A is Amendment No. 1, which reads: "Clarify that minimum one-acre lot size requirements applies to Westside Urban Plan Projects."

If approved, this Amendment No. 1 may effectively stop any revitalization of the Westside.

Why? Because many of the lots in the 103 Acres of the 19West Urban Plan Area and the 277 Acre Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan Area are much less than an acre in size and some are less than 5,000 square feet (remember, an acre is 43,560 square feet).

This is especially true along West 19th Street, which is dotted with small lots.

So, say you want to revitalize West 19th Street by putting in a small live-work building.

To do that, you'll have to assemble lots by buying them from individual property owners.

Assume, just because the number is round, that all the lots up and down that street are 5,000 square feet in size.

To get to an acre, you'll have to be able to buy nine contiguous lots, probably from nine different owners.

And, you just know that once the word gets out, that you'll have some owners who will suddenly raise their prices because they know what you're doing. And, you also know that some owners simply won't want to sell.

The bottom line: If the no-Planning Commision doesn't take out the one-acre requirement, much of the Westside will remain just as it is today. No revitalization.

What will some say to try to pass this onerous requirement? They'll say that developers can still ask for changes to the Master Plan, so this won't stop revitalization. Folks, that's a weak argument and just sets up additional hurdles to revitalization.

Hopefully, the no-Planners on the no-Planning Commission will drop this one-acre requirement.

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DID WE SAY THAT?

In its DP 103 Special Section today, the almost daily Daily Pilot says that I've made it clear that I'm voting for Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer this year.

The paper continues: "But some residents, he writes, might want to give their 'lefty-I-like-illegal-aliens-and-more-crime-and-lousier-school vote,' to one of the other six candidates.

Did I write that? You bet I did.

And, I'll write it again: If you're a lefty-I-like-illegal-aliens-and-more-crime-and-lousier-schools-voter, you've got six candidates who you will probably find to your liking.

But, if you're a responsible-citizen-and-you-understand-the-illegal-alien-connection-to-our-high-crime-rate-and-lousy-school-statistics, then you should probably vote for Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer.
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TRUTH

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer

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Truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it; but, in the end, there it is. -Sir Winston Churchill

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 518

[ Last updated: Thursday, October 23, 2008, 8:25 PM--scroll down]

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

1. Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley

is about to pass an ordinance to require stores to retrieve or contain their own shopping carts at the expense of the stores. LINK to OC REGISTER article.

2. Costa Mesa

When citizens of Costa Mesa complained about shopping carts in our city, our City Council decided to make citizens pay for the retrieval of the carts.

As a result, Costa Mesa citizens now pay about $40,000 per year for a shopping cart retrieval service for the benefit of stores and for the mostly suspected illegal aliens who take the carts and abandon them in the slums around this city.

If you think this is stupid, why didn't you speak out? The CM PRESS went to the Council meeting and spoke against having us pay for this service.

This is just one example of an expense that citizens of Costa Mesa should not have, and how our local government passes these things on to citizens.

Now, we're in tough economic times and local tax and spend lefties and liberals are whining that we may have to cut services to citizens unless we raise taxes.

Well,the CM PRESS has a better idea. How about cutting this shopping cart expense for starters? How about having the stores put restraint systems on their carts such as the ones on the carts at Smart & Final on W. 19th Street or at the 99 Cent store on Harbor Blvd.?

And then...
How about cutting some of the day care and similar programs that mostly benefit suspected illegal aliens but which are paid for by citizens?

These programs just make illegal aliens feel welcome in Costa Mesa and then we end up having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the graffiti and gang problems that they bring with them.

And, the galling thing is that these are not our problems at all. Illegal aliens should not be here, and it is not our responsibility to feed and take care of them and make them feel comfortable here.

Tighten things up

Jim Righeimer, who is running for City Council, has it right when he says we don't have an income problem in our municipal government in Costa Mesa, we have a spending problem.

It's $40,000 for this little program, $30,000 for this other one,$70,000 for this, and it goes on and on.

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CANDIDATE FORUM LAST NIGHT

The CM PRESS attended the City Council candidate forum last night in Halecrest, but left after about half an hour.

Even we get tired of the same old things said again and again.

Look folks, there are nine people running for City Council, but only four of them are "real" candidates--Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan, Eric Bever and Katrina Foley--the rest have no chance of winning and most will quickly disappear after the election and we'll never hear from them again.

Of these four real candidates, only three will really help make Costa Mesa a better city for citizens--Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever.

Katrina Foley is a lame duck even if she gets elected. Listening to her is like listening to a grade school teacher talking to little children. She says little of substance, but smiles a lot and then we read comments from some of her supporters about how great she is for the city! Are they nuts?

Listen to what Foley says and then go back and try to find something of substance. It's almost impossible. She strings together sweet nothings. Where's the beef? There is none. It's empty words.

Foley is also the Councilmember who refused to sign a letter to President Bush asking him to protect our borders.

She was also against then Mayor Mansoor's plan to train some of our cops in ICE techniques.

Our guess is that if we had a Foley majority on the Council that we'd be having more gang and crime problems and Costa Mesa would become even more of a true sanctuary city for illegal aliens and we'd see more and more of our middle class flee to safer and nicer cities.

Fortunately, we don't have a Foley majority. And, hopefully, voters will turn her out of office this year and let her go skiing all the time instead of cutting City Council meetings to do that.
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GOOD POST FROM COLIN MCCARTHY OVER AT THE ALMOST DAILY DAILY PILOT BLOG (LINK)

colin mccarthy wrote on Oct 23, 2008 7:27 AM:

" Costa Migra? The statistics don't lie. FBI stats show in 2007, Zero murders on Costa Mesa, ZERO. Violent crime down 16% from 2006; robbery, assault, burglary, auto theft, arson, ALL DOWN from 2005 and 2006. More needs to be done, but it was Bever, Monahan and Mansoor who supported the ICE program and took a stand on public safety. If you want Costa Mesa to be a safer place for you and your family, Bever and Monahan deserve your vote this election. Check for yourself, www.fbi.gov. "

Remember the name Colin McCarthy. He's the president of the Mesa North Community Association and many of us see him as a rising star in Costa Mesa politics. Maybe Planning Commission after the election? City Council after that? You heard it here first.
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MAYOR BEVER DESERVES PRAISE FOR THE FREEDOM HOMES PLANS

Mayor Eric Bever has been a busy, er...since he was elected four years ago, and he's initiated or spearheaded many concrete improvements in various neighborhoods in the city.

The guy's more of a doer than a talker, so many people may not know about all the things that he's done. And, these are things that he didn't have to do. He could have just sat on the dais like a couple of the bumps on a log up there and few would know the difference. To his credit, he didn't do this.

One of the things he's done is come up with some standard plans to help homeowners in the Freedom Homes tract visualize how to improve their homes. These plans are available at City Hall.

In case you don't know this...
The Freedom Homes tract has about 830 homes that were built in 1953. The original homes are small, have a single bathroom, three bedrooms and usually no garage. Over the years, more and more people have been improving these homes to more modern standards and Mayor Bever's plans should help even more people upgrade.

It's a gem
Here's the thing about the Freedom Homes neighborhood that you may not know unless you've driven around in the neighborhood: it's an absolute gem! Get thirty feet into the tract off Victoria and you'll think you're miles away out in the country. Seriously.

If you know any young couples looking to locate in Costa Mesa, tell them about the Freedom Homes tract. It's a great neighborhood for families with young children and it's close to Victoria School which is one of the best grade schools in Costa Mesa. You can also bicycle to the beach by going through Canyon Park. There's also a brand new Trader Joe's about ready to open just over the river on Brookhurst and Hamilton (Victoria turns into Hamilton).

Much praise to Mayor Bever. He's helping improve all of Costa Mesa with a sensitivity to the differences in each neighborhood and with an eye to keeping what's best in each neighborhood, while not allowing the city to become one big plastic cookie cutter metropolis.

You might want to vote Bever back in on November 4. There's a lot more work to be done to improve Costa Mesa.

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APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO SANCTUARY POLICY

LINK

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 517

THE BEST CHOICES FOR AN IMPROVED COSTA MESA

Most Improvers agree that the best choices for an improved Costa Mesa this year are Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever.

And, the CM PRESS agrees.

As you know, the CM PRESS pays attention to what goes on in Costa Mesa, and we attend most city functions on even the most mundane matters. We also participate when we think we may have something to add.

We don't do this for our health, or because we don't have other things to do, but because we understand that what you see in the almost daily Daily Pilot or in some other blogs or on your TV is just the tip of the iceberg.

To understand this tip of the iceberg, you have to start where it starts--down below, out of sight in the study sessions and committee meetings and in the halls of City Hall.

You can't really understand things in Costa Mesa if you sit at home and watch City Council meetings or no-Planning Commission meetings on your TV.

The TV cameras are selective and narrowly focused. They often miss the details,the nuances, the human chemistry--a nasty look, a smile, a nudge--that give an indication of something larger.

So, the CM PRESS goes to meetings and we usually sit at the rear of the room so we can see the whole room and everyone in it. We watch and we listen and we form our opinions and look always for indications that this or that politician or public person is on the right or wrong track for making Costa Mesa the best Orange County city.

Are our views subjective? You bet. The CM PRESS is all about opinion.

WE WEIGH WHAT THEY SAY AND DO

And, when we form an opinion about this or that politician or public figure, we do so by mentally putting pebbles on each side of a balance scale. A pebble on this side for things the politician or public figure does or says to improve Costa Mesa, and a pebble on the other side for things they do that keep Costa Mesa from improving.

We often say that we have no friends in politics and we mean that. When someone is elected, we often back off any friendship with that person that may have started. We do this to try to remain as objective as possible and not let personalities sway us.

We don't want politicians to smile at us, shake our hand and pat us on the back. We want them to say and do the things that will make this a great city. And, if any politician tries to blow smoke up our skirts by saying one thing and doing another or by obfuscating issues, we're usually on them like fleas on a dog.

A few years ago we helped elect a politician who did say one thing and do another. That politician even said he believed that we were the reason he got elected.

However, he apparently forgot that we do pay attention and we do attend most meetings and we do listen and we do watch. As soon as it was clear that this politician wasn't walking the walk and was blowing smoke, we began working to make sure he would not serve another term. We went from being his biggest supporter to being his biggest opponent.

The current election

In the current election, we believe that Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan and Eric Bever are the best choices to help improve Costa Mesa.

Do we think they're perfect choices? Nope. We think each has some flaws and weaknesses, but we also think that of the nine candidates running, these three will, on balance, get more of our pebbles on the improvement side of the balance scale than on the other side if they are elected.

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MORE CHANGES AT THE ALMOST DAILY DAILY PILOT

Tony Dodero has been let go at the almost daily Daily Pilot. LINK

Interestingly, when we followed the above link this morning, we arrived at a screwed up page (it may be fixed by the time most people follow the link).

Could that be because Tony is no longer there and it was his responsibility to make sure the internet version of the paper is presented correctly?

We hope the almost daily Daily Pilot survives--Business 101

Newspapers are businesses. They do not exist to deliver the news or opinions. They exist to make money for their owners. They make money by selling advertising. Advertisers advertise because they want to reach as many people as possible who will patronize their businesses.

Newspapers attract people to the advertising by publishing the news and opinions that attracts readers.

In a down economy, fewer people buy homes or cars--two staples of newspaper advertising--even if readers do see advertising for these things. This causes home and car sellers to cut back on their advertising. This means less money for the newspapers and leads to layoffs;usually in the editorial and reporting end of things first.

Add to the bad economy the fact that many people are now getting their news and opinions from the intenet and you can see a real problem for newspapers.

Local newspapers can often ride out bad times because of their focus on local matters and local advertisers, but when they're owned by big media giants, the income generated by such small local newspapers is often just a drip in the bucket and does little to help with the red ink of the parent companies.

Thus,small local newspapers are often considered to be worth more to their parent companies if they are sold.

When you deal on the level of a Sam Zell, the parts of businesses you buy are often worth more than the whole, so you begin selling off the parts.

Will that be the fate of the almost daily Daily Pilot? And, are some former bigs at the Pilot even now standing in the wings and waiting for a fire sale? Your guess is as good as ours.

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OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF JUVENILE GANG MEMBERS ARE HISPANIC

According to an article in the OC REGISTER today (link), 93 percent of juvenile gang members

in Orange County are Hispanic.

Of course, if you listen to some liberals and lefties in Costa Mesa, you're probably shocked by this number because they've tried to make you think that most gang members are white, even though your common sense, your own eyes, newspaper crime reports and the statistics say something else.

What the Reg didn't report is the percentage of these Hispanic gang members who are illegal aliens or are the children of illegal aliens. Our bet is that the percentage is very high.

The libs and lefties will probably use this statistic to try to grab more money from citizens for phony intervention programs that don't really work and which are often mostly used by nerds who wouldn't become gang members anyway.

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LAST TWO CANDIDATE FORUMS

TONIGHT--Candidate Forum--Wed. October 22nd, 6:30pm to 9 pm, Halecrest Park Ballroom, 3107 Killybrook Lane, CM 92626

Candidate Forum--Tue. October 28th 6:30 pm, Presbyterian Church, 2850 Fairview Road CM 92626

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.