Hey, wait a minute! They can't do that.
How dare they try to right size their organization?
Oh, that's right, they're not the City of Costa Mesa, and as a private entity they don't have to keep paying people if they don't need them or if they can find others to do the same work for less.
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| NOT A REAL INDIAN |
Blacks are protesting being moccasined out of the Cherokee Nation.
Some Blacks are even claiming that the Red skins have been living like White skins--you know, that White privilege stuff.
Now you, as a discerning reader, understand how some Black skins are trying to scalp the Red skins by associating them with White skins.
But for those who do not read the CM PRESS (but who really do read it) and who are not so discerning, let us explain. And, we promise not to use a forked tongue such as the one used by Wendy Leece when she led the GOP suits to believe that if they gave her their support in the last election that she wouldn't give away the city to the unions. We keep our treaties.
You see, the Red skins have a natural shield against charges of racism from Black skins, being that they are also a minority. This natural shield is something that White skins can't wield. So, if the Black skins can make people think the Red skins are living like White skins, then the Black skins will have the high moral ground.
And speaking of Indians and faux Indians. I went to one of my union's (SAG) picnics a few years ago and there was a dust up as Iron Eyes Cody (the famous crying Indian) tried to sell blankets and trinkets. Anyway, the SAG suits stopped ol' Iron Eyes from making a few bucks on the side. And, this was even before it was revealed that Iron Eyes wasn't a real Indian, but was of Italian extraction.
Here's the plain truth, and it's a law of nature. You have to be born an Indian to be an Indian. Got it? Maybe someone figured that out and that's why the proposed Lone Ranger movie staring Johnny Depp as Tonto fell apart.
Now, what's the first thing you think of when you hear the word Indians? Right. Cowboys.
You don't have to be born a cowboy to be a cowboy. You just need the hat and boots. Marion Morrison figured that one out pretty early in his career, pilgrim.
But, of course, being a cowboy is not the same thing as being an Indian, so if you're an existentialist and you really believe in "being before essence," you will find that your ability to truly create yourself only applies to things that can be layered on over your genes. Thus, every Indian can be a cowboy, but not every cowboy can be an Indian.
Now, don't tell Willie Nelson that Indians are born and cowboys are made, because it appears that he thinks he was born a cowboy. We don't want the guy to have an identity crisis and become alienated from his authentic self like so many others in our present Dark Age. N'est-ce pas?
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| Mesa North Tree & Graffiti |
In the coming months, you're going to hear a lot about negligence, rescuer liability and lack of legal protection for good Samaritans in California.
You'll also hear about the liability of both Newport Beach, where the tree was located, and Costa Mesa, where the tree fell, and the duty of both cities to inspect and make safe.
Speaking of trees...
We've long felt that Costa Mesa generally does a lousy job of protecting the public from trees.
We'll just give you one (to keep your eyes from glazing over) of many leafy examples that we could cite.
Back in the '60's Carrotwood trees (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) were planted in front of homes in the parkways between the sidewalks and the streets in Mesa North. These parkways are owned by the City, but must be maintained by the home owners--at great difficulty because of the friggin' Carrotwoods.
The Carrotwood trees have roots that constantly lift and break the sidewalks, curbs and streets; not to mention the constant blocking of sewer lines (which of course we just did mention).
When the CM PRESS asked the City to remove one particularly nasty Carrotwood, the City told us to go climb a tree.
When we told the City that the roots were causing constant sewer blockages (roto rooter trucks are an every day sight in Mesa North), the City replied that we should spend a couple of hundred bucks to have a rooter company send a camera through our sewer line to prove our point. Then, the City might consider removing the tree (at our expense).
We also pointed out the uplifted sidewalk that is a tripping hazard--and which is troublesome for the people in wheelchairs in the neighborhood. Unionized City employees then sprang into action (Well, "sprang" might be an exaggeration--"ambled" might be a better word. Hey, they are unionized.) and ground down the sidewalk and also made a little ramp of asphalt. Neither of these fixes have worked very well, we must tripingly add.
And, get this. When the City came out to put in a new curb right next to the Carrotwood that we had previously complained about--and which, in addition to screwing up the sewer line, and breaking the sidewalk, and the previous curb, and the street--we told the City that they were wasting tax money because the Carrotwood would break the new curb.
We were then given a heaping serving of oil on troubled waters and were told (in a very professional, "Haruuumph,we know trees, Mr. Citizen and you don't" tone of voice.) that the City would put in a root barrier to prevent root damage.
Not being a pansy, or any other species of shrinking violet, we reached down deep inside of us to the Quebecois side of our DNA roots and let the City know that we weren't just singing Alouette. No, we replied, in a voice that would make a lumberjack happy, that crappy little piece of plastic with delusions of grandeur that dares to call itself a root barrier wouldn't work. We, of course, just got more "Haruuumphs."
So, the City put in a nice new curb. And a root barrier. Within two weeks, the nice new curb was already cracked.
Today? The Carrotwood is still there. The sewer is constantly being blocked. The rooter man is getting rich. The sidewalk is still uplifted. The new curb is still cracked.
And, just in case you didn't follow the link above about Carrotwoods, you should know that the state of Florida considers these trees to be noxious weeds and tells citizens to rip them out root and branch any time they find them.
But, of course, Costa Mesa isn't in Florida. It's in lala land. And, it has "professional" tree people on staff and a no-Parks and Recreation Commission that routinely turns down requests for tree removal.
Why does the Parks and Recreation Commission turn down so many tree removal requests? We think it's their attempt to save the City money. Or, maybe, the Commissioners have never seen a poem as lovely as a tree.
Oh yeah, we have a call into our cousins in Trois-Rivieres to show up some night with their pet beavers to solve Costa Mesa's Carrotwood tree problem--that the City pretends is not a problem.
Now, do not confuse beavers with Bever. The former is a furry little animal with a big flat tail while the latter is one of our good Councilmembers whose family has somehow lost a vowel over the centuries.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
CM Press,
ReplyDeleteI like your story and relate.
I have a carrotwood tree in my front yard and it requires constant attention. During certain times of the year it creates a tremendous mess from its hard orange fruits and leaves. The homeowner has to maintain this tree because the great mess it creates. Any lawn would be saturated with droppings in a few days if he did not.
A while ago I contacted the city arborist about removing this tree and he said this type of tree has been declared a nuisance and I can get rid of it. I have several options. My facts are a little sketchy here but it went something like this, pay the city to cut it down and replace it with something else or pay someone else to cut it down and still pay the city. If I choose not to replace the tree, I have to pay for two trees to be planted somewhere else in the city. Bottom line, the costs were on the order of $600. I decided it was still a good looking tree and not to do anything and save my money and just deal with it. The sidewalk fortunately has been spared any severe damage even though there is some lifting on one of the sections. It was grounded down last year. Never had a sewage problem.
It has been several years since we have had the trees trimmed in my neighborhood so I hope with all the construction going on to the streets, we will see the tree trimmed soon.
Now the question to ask oneself is simple, who in the city 50+ years ago decided it was a good idea to plant these types of trees all over the city without thoroughly investigating the ramifications to the sidewalks and sewers? That person most likely has retired but clearly it was a bad decision that will cost us dearly.
I have a question. Are Carrotwood trees and Brazilian Pepper trees one and the same? They sound a lot alike. However, all Brazilian Pepper trees are not bad. We've had to remove one from our property because it was very destructive, but a second one, on the same property, has proved to be just the opposite.
ReplyDelete