CM PRESS # 483

MANSOOR GETS IT RIGHT...AGAIN

(Vote for the right 3 in '08)

Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor has a column in the almost daily Daily Pilot today and gives an example of why voters in Costa Mesa like him so much--he doesn't equivocate. LINK

He tells you what he thinks, clearly and succinctly. You know where he stands. No dancing.

And, Mansoor thinks that Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer are needed on the Costa Mesa City Council.

We agree.

We think Bever, Monahan and Righeimer are the only three candidates running this year who will continue the improvement of Costa Mesa.

We've watched these three candidates over the years and know they get it.

BEVER------Here's a guy who was way ahead of the curve in improving Costa Mesa. He didn't just fall out of bed one day, as so many of the other candidates running seem to have done, and suddenly say he wanted the glory of being on the City Council.

As we've reported before, when Improvers were first coming on the scene, Bever used to stand in front of the Home Depot on Harbor Blvd. handing out fliers about improving our city. And, he did so all by his lonesome.

And, when the Improvers had their first big meeting (with a standing room only crowd), it was Bever who organized it and it was Bever who ran for donuts and did just about everything else.

MONAHAN----The first time we ever saw Monahan was at some event at John Creen's estate. Here was this guy walking around with a baby strapped to his back asking people to vote for him. Monahan is pretty much a guy for small, less intrusive government. We like that. But, he also understands that government does have a proper function in making Costa Mesa the great city it can be.

RIGHEIMER---The only time we've ever spoken to Righeimer was when we passed each other at City Hall one day. Nevertheless, we've watched him on the no-Planning Commission and we've read his columns.

What has struck us about his thought processes--especially evidenced in his columns--is that he often thinks like an economist--and argues to an improvement conclusion based on cost/benefit analyses. In our opinion, this type of thinking adds an important dimension to the mix as to why and how Costa Mesa should and can be improved.

What cinches our vote for Righeimer, however, is the fact that Mansoor is endorsing him.

We're absolutely convinced that Mansoor (like Bever) is selfless in wanting an improved Costa Mesa and that he wouldn't endorse anyone who would put us back on the old negative track to becoming a new Santa Ana.

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WE CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THE RESPONSE TO MANSOOR'S COLUMN

We're getting our laugh meter set up as the expected responses from the usual lefties start coming in about Mansoor's column. This tiny group is so predictable that we could publish most of their names and the gist of their comments right now if we wanted to.

In fact, and as we reported in CM PRESS # 482, the almost daily Daily Pilot's managing editor, Brady Rhoades (who lives in Fullerton, and who looks a lot like...well you know who), couldn't wait to respond to Mansoor and did so in the almost daily Daily Pilot two days before Mansoor's column even appeared! LINK

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JIM FISLER FOR SANITARY DISTRICT

And, remember, current no-Planning Commissioner Jim Fisler, who has also been working for an improved Costa Mesa, is running for a seat over there this year.

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KEEP COSTA MESA FROM BECOMING A NEW SANTA ANA

There are almost daily murders in Santa Ana these days. Here's a story about a 13-year-old kid who was shot to death as he walked home from school yesterday.LINK

There are only three tough on crime candidates running for the City Council in Costa Mesa this year. Bever, Monahan, Righeimer. That's it folks. If you want Costa Mesa to be more like our neighboring coastal cities and less like Santa Ana, vote for these three.

This is no time to vote for squishes like Flopsy Katrina Foley whose idea of crime prevention is to plant flowers in front of the Mission-Mendoza slum and who refused to sign a letter asking President Bush to secure our borders, and who spoke through a translator to a bunch of suspected illegal alien day workers to let them know she's their pal.

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ICE REPORT FOR AUGUST 2008

We just received the ICE report for August 2008. This is the same report that the CMPD sends to the City Council.

We'd publish the whole report here, which is in the form of a spread sheet, but this blog software resists. Anyone on our email list who wants the report should just email us.

We don't know what's going on, but the ICE detainers are going down each month.

Take this latest report, for example. There were 509 total arrests in Costa Mesa during August 2008. Of these, 52 arrestees were interviewed by ICE and 25 ICE detainers were issued.

Compare that with August 2007. During that month last year, there were only 446 arrests (87 fewer than in August 2008) but 95 of the arrestees were interviewed by ICE, leading to 50 ICE detainers.

So, there were twice as many ICE detainers in August 2007 as in August 2008!

It's been like this every month in 2008. ICE detainers are down every single month of 2008 as compared to 2007.

Why? Anyone have any ideas why?

One reader suggests that many illegal aliens are self-deporting out of Costa Mesa. However, the CM PRESS hasn't seen any real evidence of this, and national self-deportation figures don't seem to support this theory.

Another reader suggests that some cops are avoiding arresting suspected illegal aliens. Again, we don't know if that's right or not, and we have no way of checking. Of course, the City Council would be able to check on this if they wanted to.

Maybe the Council should check just to put any rumors to rest; especially since it is known that there are cops who opposed having an ICE agent in the jail, and who worked to try to defeat Mansoor, Bever, et. al. and elect lefty squishes to the Council.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 482

LHC STARTED UP--NO PROBLEMS

LINK to news story.

LINK to LHC.

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AN INFESTATION OF BUREAUCRATS

(The 55 mess)

Here's the LINK to the almost daily Daily Pilot's story on last night's meeting about the 55.

As we predicted, the bureaucrats are going to drag their feet on giving relief to Costa Mesa.

The bureaucrats constantly talk about reaching consensus. Consensus? By and between whom?

Apparently they mean that Costa Mesa must reach consensus with Newport Beach about what to do with the 55 Freeway that is in Costa Mesa, but not in Newport Beach.

Folks, Newport Beach doesn't want the 55 in that city. That city is afraid that if the 55 even extends down to 15th Street, that it will cause more traffic in Newport (and it will) and especially on the Peninsula.

As things are now, some of the beach bound traffic that drops off near 19th Street in Costa Mesa is bled off to neighborhood streets in Costa Mesa, and meanders to various beaches in a more circuitous route which gives some relief to the Peninsula.

Put a tunnel to 15th Street, and the traffic will shoot out of it to the Peninsula like the cannon ball express.

Costa Mesa needs relief now

A small thing that the state can do right now is to change traffic signs.

Instead of telling inland traffic that the way to the beach is via the 55, the signs can be changed to direct traffic down the 73 (or Bristol Street) to MacArthur and Jamboree.

And, signs can be erected indicating that the 55 is for "local Costa Mesa traffic." Will it fool anyone? Maybe enough to make a difference to our downtown right now.

So, the signs might look like this as you drive from inland cities to the beach. "55 ENDS 2 MILES. LOCAL COSTA MESA TRAFFIC ONLY." "BEACH TRAFFIC TAKE 73"

Of course, it would be better for Costa Mesa if the 55 really did just end at the 73 with a Bristol Street off ramp, but that's not going to happen, at least not permanently.

If the state ever does decide to stop mumbling and bumbling and put the 55 into a tunnel, the beach bound traffic will no doubt be temporarily diverted to the 73 and Bristol.

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SOUNDS LIKE A SMEAR TO US

Fullerton's very own Brady Rhoades, who commutes to Costa Mesa each day to share his insights on the local scene (of which he is not a part) in his 9-5 stint as the managing editor of the almost daily Daily Pilot, wrote on his blog yesterday that Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor would have an opinion column in today's almost daily Daily Pilot. [Photo is not of Brady Rhoades. Really. It's Pee-wee Herman. Honest.]

Mr. Rhoades was apparently so excited about whatever it was that Mansoor wrote that he couldn't wait for the column to appear; so without readers seeing the column in context, Rhoades raised the specter of fascism if the Costa Mesa City Council is all in agreement on some issues as Mr. Mansoor apparently wrote in his column. LINK

Well, here we are on Wednesday, and the CM PRESS looked in vain trying to find the column by Mansoor.

Maybe it's just in the paper version of the Pilot, because we don't see it in the online version as of 6:00 AM. We'll keep checking, though.

Rhoades ends his blog entry with the mention of baseball. Here's our own take on that:

Rhoades is at bat.

Strike One: It is unfair to criticize something that hasn't even appeared in the paper yet.

Strike Two: It is unfair to take things out of context.

Strike Three: If Mansoor's column does, in fact, only appear in the paper version of the Pilot, then comments about it online by the managing editor of the paper are also out of line.

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Those are our opinions. We actually live in Costa Mesa.

CM PRESS # 481

AMERICA OWES THE PRESIDENCY TO OBAMA? HUH?

A person calling herself Karla Paniagua, no city given, has a letter in the almost daily Daily Pilot today (LINK), in which she writes of Barack Obama: "America owes African Americans this president."

Huh?

Nonsense. The presidency isn't owed to anyone. We need to elect someone who will act in the best interests of all the citizens of this nation.

Paniagua also writes of Obama's lack of experience: "I have heard people talking about the little experience Obama has, but how many of us accepted our first job and had experience?"

What?

So, if a kid wants a job at McDonald's--and especially if he's black--he shouldn't start as a fry cook, but as the CEO, because we owe him that job? Yeah, that makes sense.

Ms. Paniagua has an almost identical letter in La Prensa San Diego.( LINK)

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LHC TO BE CRANKED UP IN SWITZERLAND TONIGHT WHILE WE SLEEP IN CALIFORNIA

The biggest machine ever built will be started up in Switzerland tonight as proton beams are gradually commissioned into the 17 mile long Large Hadron Collider, which has now been cooled down almost to absolute zero.

When fully operational, two opposing proton beams will be smashed into each other at close to the speed of light. This should produce conditions similar to what happened in the universe just after the big bang.

IF STEPHEN HAWKING IS RIGHT...

If physicist Stephen Hawking's calculations are right, any black holes produced will blink out of existence almost immediately.

If he's wrong...

[Photo of Dr. Hawking, who suffers from ALS. That would be Mensa Stephen to a former employee of the almost daily Daily Pilot and to a local numbnut with a well deserved inferiority complex and an IQ score that one divines is probably often seen inside a pair of penny loafers.] Hawking's website LINK

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BALLOT POSITIONS FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION

Once again, as a reminder, here's how the Costa Mesa City Council candidates will line up on your ballot in the November election.

The CM PRESS believes that the best three choices for driving down crime and improving Costa Mesa are (in the order of the ballot): Jim Righeimer, Gary Monahan, Eric Bever.

Jim Righeimer
Lisa Reedy
Nick Moss
Chris McEvoy
Gary Monahan
Bill Sneen
Katrina Foley
Eric Bever
Chris Bunyan
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 480

OBAMA SAYS KNOWING WHEN LIFE BEGINS IS ABOVE HIS PAY GRADE

Barack Obama and the usual gaggle of wine and cheese lefties keep trying to dance around the issue of when life begins by claiming it's a theological argument and subject to interpretation.

It's not.

It's a simple scientific question.

Life is a process.

In our species, that process begins at the very moment that 23 chromosomes from the male join with 23 chromosomes from the female to create the "spark" of life that requires 46 chromosomes. (Other species have different numbers of chromosomes).

It doesn't matter that the new life thus created is within the mother. That's normal for our species and is part of the process.

It doesn't matter that the new life doesn't have full adult consciousness. That's also normal for our species.

Again, life is a process. That life, even though newly created, has a right to continue.
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THE MESSENGER




I awoke. I hadn't known I was asleep. I hadn't even known I existed. I had been unaware.

Now, I was aware. Now, I had a dim memory of swirling galaxies and of a flow and a spinning and a turning of everything in existence.

I didn't know where I was. Suddenly, I became aware that I wasn't alone. There were others like me. Many others. Millions of others. We were all part of the cosmic flow. Even so, a cosmic loneliness filled me. There was an emptiness in me and I didn't feel complete.

Then, I remembered. We were messengers being sent into the unknown with a very important message. It was a matter of life or death that the message be delivered. That's why there were so many of us carrying it. One of us had to succeed.

What was the message? I didn't know. Who was I supposed to deliver it to? I had no idea. I only knew that I had to struggle to deliver the message. Somehow I also knew that I would be rewarded if I were the messenger who got the message through the incredible odds against me.

I also was aware that each messenger had the same general message, but it was just coded a little differently for each. We were the hope of the one who was sending us forth. His destiny was linked to our destiny as our destiny was linked to his. We were part of him, yet we were separate from him.

I didn't choose to be a messenger. It was just my fate. It was the way things are, and I was part of the way things are as are all other things in existence. My duty, my purpose, and my responsibility--my mission--was to deliver the message. I must leave my home and go to the unknown. The mission was everything.

All the others also wanted to reach the same goal. I now realized that I must struggle against all the others. There was no hatred about this. There was no love. There was just the struggle. The great indifferent and eternal struggle.

So it came to pass that we were sent forth on our sacred mission.

Some of the others were weak and they quickly fell away. I moved on. My destiny, whatever it was to be, was in front of me. I got tired and it would have been easy to stop struggling, maybe just rest for a while, but this wasn't my way. I was relentless.

Then I saw it far away in the distance; a gigantic orb shining like a star. That was where I had to go. I just knew it. I sensed. it. I felt it.

I moved ever onward through a vast emptiness that was not truly empty. And, the orb grew larger and larger. It was there. It was huge. It was beautiful. It hung there in the distance but was getting closer.

Suddenly, stunningly, the orb vibrated and...it sang to me! It was a lonely, plaintive, and sparse song. Then without thinking, I sang back and was shocked because I didn't know I could sing and I didn't even know the song. It just came out of me.

The orb was shining and glorious. It's music was thin but it called out, siren like, urging all of us to move on.

Great waves of joy filled me as I got closer. This was my goal. This was my destiny. I felt exhilarated as I got closer. All around me, other messengers were dying, but I moved on.

Now I was bathed in a glorious light as I moved ever closer. All my will and all my might were focused on the goal to get to the orb. I was going to struggle until I could struggle no more.

I got even closer and feared that I would burn up but the heat was just a warmth. Suddenly, I realized that I was the only messenger there. I was all alone. But I moved onward. The orb got within touching distance. Suddenly, I heard a voice from out of the far places booming out to me in a deep rumbling tone and the voice said, YOU ARE THE MESSENGER.

With my last ounce of strength I propelled myself forward into the orb and the wall of the orb let me pass through into the inner light. Once I was inside, it was as though I had thrown a switch to turn the orb on because suddenly everything got very bright and everything started moving all around me as though a clockwork had started.

Like a swirling kaleidoscope, things moved all about me and through me and I was one with them and I was part of it. I could see everything, including me, changing. It was as though I was outside myself looking at myself. Parts of me joined with parts of the orb.

I was becoming one with the orb and the orb was becoming one with me and we were now being joined as one. And, I saw it all and I was being transformed and I felt it and I was becoming something new, something whole, something complete and the great spinning continued and it was beautiful as it ordered everything.

Parts of me linked up with parts of the orb. Clang, clang, clang, clang...23 times it happened. All the parts lined up and locked into place and the spinning became a spiral full of different colored lights and it spun around like a candy cane. And suddenly the singing that I had heard before, turned into a chorus and the sound was beautiful and full.

Where before it had been as a single instrument, now it was as a full orchestra. It was complete and it was exultant and it was joyous. And, the One who knows, was there in the center of the spinning.

Suddenly I knew the truth.

I was the messenger, but I was also the message.

And, then I knew what my purpose was. Then I understood the way of existence. Then did I achieve the consciousness of the orb and of the One. Then did I finally understand.

And the voice said, "Against all odds you have been chosen because you chose yourself. Forty million started the journey with you, but you alone succeeded. The forty million are now gone forever and they shall be no more. You alone shall go on. That is your reward. In time, you shall send forth your own messengers.

Nine months later I was born. The struggle continues. The message goes on.
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AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
Photo is of the so-called DNA or Double Helix nebula that is near the giant black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. It's about 80 light years long.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT


There are approximately 40 million spermatozoa in an ejaculate, but only one gets to fertilize the ovum. A human spermatozoa carries 23 chromosomes from the male which join with the 23 chromosomes in the ovum of the female to produce a human being. Each chromosome is a long strand of DNA containing approximately 30,000 genes. DNA is made up of the four nucleotides, adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine which are usually abbreviated A,T,C and G. These four chemicals join together two at a time to create "rungs" on the double helix ladder of our DNA. There are 3 billion rungs on our DNA ladder.

The message being carried by the spermatozoa to the ovum is in these things. It is the blueprint and code of life. If the message does not reach the ovum, there is no life.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.


*First starry sky photo above is of the Eagle nebula where millions of stars are being born.

CM PRESS # 479

COPS SAY NO DRUNKS FOUND DURING DUI CHECKPOINT
Here's the LINK

CMPRESSFUCIUS SAYS: If you want to catch fish, fish where there are fish.
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IN OUR VIEW, THE BEST THREE TO DRIVE DOWN CRIME AND IMPROVE COSTA MESA ARE BEVER, MONAHAN AND RIGHEIMER

Say, did we mention that we think Eric Bever, Gary Monahan and Jim Righeimer would be the best choices to drive down crime and improve Costa Mesa, and that you might consider casting your vote this year as though these three were all lined up one under the other on the ballot?

Think of them as a joined at the hip slate. A conservative slate. A fiscally responsible, no new taxes slate. A get the gangs the hell out of Costa Mesa slate. A make Costa Mesa nicer and safer for citizens slate.

Of course, their names aren't actually lined up, so you may have to spend a few extra minutes to put these three together before you cast your vote.

Don't be fooled by Flopsy Katrina Foley's rhetoric. She's an ultra-liberal Democrat who will be receiving backing from other ultra liberal Democrats.

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

She's way too squishy liberal for Costa Mesa. Her idea of crime control and improvement is to plant flowers in front of the slums, and tell suspected illegal alien day workers that she's on their side.

Give Flopsy Foley more time to go skiing. Unelect her so she won't have to play hooky from so many Councilmeetings as she has in the past.

This is not a year to pick and choose folks. Pick the right 3. Your safety and quality of life depend on it.

We have too much crime and too many gangs. We need Bever, Monahan and Righeimer on the dais to help turn things around.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 478

LATINO MAN SOUGHT IN SEX ATTACK ON TEEN IN HER APARTMENT

A 19-year-old girl apparently lulled into believing that Costa Mesa is a safe city, opened her door to a knock Thursday night and was then forced back into her apartment, slapped around, and sexually assaulted.

The attack occurred in the 2800 block of Pinecreek Drive. This is between Harbor and Adams near the entrance to OCC. LINK

Here's a LINK to the CMPD press release and a sketch of the attacker.

Why wasn't this girl aware of the danger? Could it be that her guard was down because some in the local establishment are trying to hide Costa Mesa's very high violent crime rate which has a nexus to the squishes turning our city into an illegal alien sanctuary city? LINK
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OUR HIGH VIOLENT CRIME RATE

According to the FBI, Costa Mesa has the highest violent crime rate of any city around us except Santa Ana.

This isn't something to hide, folks. This is something to be worried about and it is something to fix.

And, it will never be fixed so long as we let squishes in the local establishment give us sociological babble about the problems and look in all the wrong places for solutions.

When you vote this year, turn down the squishes and vote for Improvement candidates who will do something about our high violent crime rate once they have a super majority on the Council.

Remember, as of today, the CM PRESS believes that Bever, Monahan and Righeimer are the only candidates in the race who are tough on crime.
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MORE LATINO GANG GRAFFITI IN MESA NORTH TODAY

There's more Latino gang graffiti in Mesa North today. The two locations that we spotted are on the sidewalk behind 3044 Fillmore Way and on the wall near 3000 Fillmore Way.

The Graffiti reads: "V 7 FM X3" in large black letters approximately 3 feet tall.

This is the same gang that has put graffiti in Paularino Park and in other locations around the Mesa North neighborhood.

So, why aren't they being caught?

And, while we're asking, why are our ICE detainer figures lower than they should be?

This is your city, folks. You have a right to be safe and sound in your own homes and you shouldn't have to put up with gangs, illegal aliens and other criminals who are turning Costa Mesa into a new Santa Ana.

Demand a get tough approach on gangs and crime. Demand results. You're paying for results, not excuses.
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THE COLOR OF CRIME







Here's the latest edition of this book that organizes crime statistics compiled by the FBI so they're easily readable. You can download the book for free at this LINK.
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Costa Mesa Police Department Deployment Model

Concerned about crime and gangs?

Here, from the reorganization chart of the CMPD, presented to the City Council in December 2007, are the areas of responsibility for specific members of the CMPD. We're assuming no further changes have been made since then.

For CMPD purposes, Costa Mesa is split into two Areas: one north and one south.

Area 1, is roughly all of the City from Victoria Street south to the Newport Beach border, and is commanded by Lt. Paul Dondero.

Area 2, which includes everything north of Area 1, is commanded by Lt.Marty Carver.

Lt. Clay Epperson is the Special Operations Lieutenant and is "Accountable/Responsible for all specialty assignments and responsibilities including: Special Enforcement Detail, Gang Detail, School Resource Officers, Park Rangers, S.W.A.T., Research/Development pertaining to Pole Cameras, CCTV and other video surveillance system technology, Tactical Event Planning/Mobile Field Force."

Lt. Bob Ciszek is the Administrative Lieutenant and handles things such as training, scheduling and most back room matters at the CMPD.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 477

LAST UPDATED Friday, September 5, 2008, 3:17 PM--Scroll down to 55 Fwy article

"B-MOVIE"

Welcome to B-Movie land right here in Costa Mesa.

Here's the standard plot of countless horror/sci-fi movies:

PLOT OUTLINE: There's a small town about ready to have some sort of big event that will draw hundreds of people to the town. However, there is a danger lurking in or near the town and the main good character wants to warn people. He is opposed by the main bad character who is a greedy politician or businessman who stands to make a lot of money if people aren't scared away after being warned of the danger

THE DANGER: There's a (fill in the blank): monster crocodile, giant fish, giant squid, giant octopus, big shark, giant snake, lab created mutant big something, some sort of mutant insects, Sasquatch, [a, dare we say it?] alien.
MAIN CAST:

GOOD GUY: There's a heroic and handsome, but boyish looking (fill in the blank): sheriff, scientist.["Hey you schmucks, get me a Mel Gibson look alike who'll work for scale and who can act a little."]

GOOD GIRL: There's a beautiful local girl who develops as the love interest of the above. ["Hey, this girl can't act, but her sugar daddy is financing this production. Get me an acting coach on the set to walk her through each line. That's right. I said each line! Geez. Didn't you see her screen test? Good grief!"]

BAD GUY: There's an avaricious (fill in the blank): mayor,developer, local business man. ["Get me some washed up character actor who is believable. No, not that guy, he's a wino and will slur his lines. Get what's his face, you know, that guy who was on that has-beens quiz show. No, not him, the other guy, the one with the pot belly."]

Okay, that's enough. You get the idea.

Turn now to the latest posts in the almost daily Daily Pilot about hiding our high violent crime rate. This time, a poster named Rob Dickson has jumped in to help poster Silverthorn from yesterday's episode. Here's a link to the original column by Auntie Smith along with the posts. LINK

Listen in as we hear Auntie Steve Smith try to keep the good guys from sounding the alarm (read from the bottom up). We begin with Silverthorn's last post from yesterday.

We have not changed a word in the below posts. We kid you not, Auntie Steve Smith actually wrote his lines below. The kid's a natural:

LIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION...

Steve Smith wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:06 PM:
" Oh, Rob, this is getting old. We can solve our problems without this type of attention. This attention works against the Chamber of Commerce and our hard-working service organizations. Thanks - Steve "
Report Abuse

Rob Dickson wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:00 PM:
" Steve, I just watched the Mansoor interview on O'Reilly - what are you talking about? The negative portrayals were ENTIRELY by those protesting against Mansoor. The mayor of a mid-size CA city proposes to help remove illegal aliens from his city, a move supported by the majority of CITIZENS, and all hell breaks loose. Who brought all the negative attention to Costa Mesa? Supporters of illegal immigration!! Not Allan Mansoor, Eric Bever or Gary Monahan. If an illegal alien comes into contact with law enforcement because he/she is suspected of committing a crime, they should EXPECT deportation. "
Report Abuse

Silverthorn wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:57 PM:
" If you know information and withhold it, it's the same as lying. No twisting involved. "Artful" politicians are what got us in a lot of these situations because they didn't tell the whole truth. You keep looking at it as scaring people away while I think intelligent people understand and respect honesty. We have gangs/illegals. and if they aren't dealt with we become another SA. You believe people don't already know that? I don't want "artful" I want honest. They seldom co-mingle. You have good intentions Steve but I disagree with your definitions and concepts. Thanks for debating it Steve. "
Report Abuse

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OCC TO CELEBRATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY

On Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at around 12:30 PM, a sky diver will attempt to miss a 1,200-lb cake and land on the outdoor student quad at the college to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the college. The event is free and open to all. Yes, we know you hope he'll land in the cake. And, yes, we know it creates drama to put the cake near where the guy is going to land.
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ALSO ON SEPTEMBER 10, THE EARTH GETS SWALLOWED BY A BLACK HOLE

The Large Hadron Collider will be fired up for the first time on September 10. This, after courts in Europe turned down pleas from some who claim that the LHC will produce black holes that will swallow up the earth (ah, along with the cake avoiding skydiver at OCC and Auntie Steve Smith). LINK
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A FREEWAY RUNS THROUGH IT---IMPORTANT MEETING

Mark your calendars. The next Costa Mesa City Council study session will be held starting at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave. (the Airplane Park).

The main topic will be a presentation from OCTA about the narrowed down alternatives now being considered to offer some relief to Costa Mesans from the 55 Freeway that ends near Triangle Square.

Remember, most Costa Mesans want the 55 to be put in a true tunnel or a cut and cover tunnel down to about 15th Street since most of the traffic on the 55 is really heading to and from the beach.
LINK

THE PROBLEM WITH A TUNNEL

The State and Costa Mesa are both crying poor mouth these days, and a tunnel is expensive.

So, expect to hear that while the tunnel is not off the table (read, we're trying to mollify you by holding out the prospect of a tunnel), other things will have to be done for the next...five, ten, twenty...? years.

Folks, the 55 is the death of downtown Costa Mesa if it stays above ground. You can change traffic signals and reroute traffic all day long, but there is simply going to be more and more inland traffic heading to the beach in the future.

Having the 55 simply come up to grade and empty out in the middle of our downtown is absurd. It always was, and it always will be.

Also, don't forget that there are plans afoot to extend the 57 down along the Santa Ana River right next to Mesa Verde and all of the Westside. Some will try to tell you that this will relieve the traffic on the 55, but any such relief will be minimal.

It looks like Costa Mesa's future is as a traffic island unless citizens start demanding that real solutions to beach bound traffic be put in place.

For more info: www.octa.net/SR55
or call Sarah Swenson, OCTA Community Relations Specialist, at (714) 560-5376 or sswensson@octa.net
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 476

AUNTIE STEVE SMITH AND SITUATIONAL ETHICS

The almost daily Daily Pilot's resident scold, and notorious trash can burner, Auntie Steve Smith, got our respect a few years ago when he spoke out about the Newport Mesa Unified School District's board of directors' seeming double standard when one of its members got popped for DUI.

The CM PRESS believed then (and now), that if the district was going to give a strong message to kids against drinking and driving, that it should set a good example itself and not send mixed messages.

Instead, the board of directors seemed to close ranks to try to protect their fellow director. It looked as though the board was trying to sweep the matter under the rug where no one would see it.

When that happened, there were, if I remember correctly, only two voices in the community who forcefully spoke out against the double standard--Steve Smith, and the CM PRESS.

That was then, this is now...
Even though Smith doesn't seem to get it about improvement and is too easily swayed by neurotic bigots and haters who try to portray improvement efforts as anti-Latino (they're not), we've remembered the DUI matter as a sign that somewhere in Smith's brain is a better angel.

This better angel says, among other things, that you don't try to hide public problems, such as a high violent crime rate, from others.

And, this better angel says that only by letting people know about such things can people protect themselves and their families and actually try to do something about the problem by realizing there is a problem.

"If you want to fix something, you have to know it's broken," sings the angel.

If, for example, we try to hide the fact that Costa Mesa has a very high violent crime rate and that certain neighborhoods are more dangerous than others, we do a disservice to people who may naively and innocently move into those neighborhoods and subsequently become victims of the crime that was hidden from them.

The Mission-Mendoza slum
We previously cited the example of a young female student at OCC who moved into the Mission-Mendoza slum, in Katrina Foley's neighborhood close to OCC. It wasn't long before this young girl was found murdered in her apartment. Her killer has never been found.

If that girl had been related to us, we would have told her that there's more crime in that slum than elsewhere and that this just increases the probability that she may be a crime victim if she moves there.

Maybe she would have ignored our advice, but at least she would have been warned of the danger and as a result she might have been a little more wary.

That girl was someone's daughter, someone's cousin, someone's friend. She didn't deserve to have the local establishment lull her into a false sense of security because the local establishment is afraid that businesses won't locate here if they know about the crime.

With our warning, even if it had just been retained in the back of her mind, she might not have been as likely, for example, to quickly open her door when there was an unexpected knock.

Has the better angel moved?
It now appears that the better angel in Smith's brain has moved out of town--probably heard about the crime--even though Smith tries to deny its reality.

Then again, maybe Smith's better angel is just taking a break in this political season lest voters learn the truth and then not cast their votes for the squishy, soft on crime candidates that Smith wants to see elected to the Costa Mesa City Council.

Below is the thread of comments between Smith and a poster named Silverthorn that appears after one of Smith's recent columns. We've removed the pedestrian blatherings of the sad little man from the thread because, as usual, they're meaningless. The latest post is the first one below.

Read and see how Smith is seemingly saying that we should lie about our crime problems in Costa Mesa, and then twists himself into a pretzel to deny that he is saying that. No wonder he backs Dancing Sneen for the City Council.* LINK

I wish I could simply say that this is the difference between the liberal mind, as represented by Smith, and the conservative mind but, unfortunately, it's not as simple as that. But, that's for another column.

Here's the thread:

Silverthorn wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:57 PM:
" If you know information and withhold it, it's the same as lying. No twisting involved. "Artful" politicians are what got us in a lot of these situations because they didn't tell the whole truth. You keep looking at it as scaring people away while I think intelligent people understand and respect honesty. We have gangs/illegals. and if they aren't dealt with we become another SA. You believe people don't already know that? I don't want "artful" I want honest. They seldom co-mingle. You have good intentions Steve but I disagree with your definitions and concepts. Thanks for debating it Steve. "
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steve smith wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:46 PM:
" Silverthorn, Please avoid distorting my comments. I am not recommending, nor do I know of anyone who is purposely trying to conceal the facts about our problems. That is not what an artful leader does. Tricking people? I'm not sure where that came from either - certainly not from me. And yes, I expect people to check us out. If you want to see the scary picture of CM painted by Allan, listen to his national O'Reilly interview (Google it). I would not move here or invest here after seeing that footage. Very poor representation of this fine city. "
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Silverthorn wrote on Sep 2, 2008 7:49 PM:
" I agree on disagreeing in a civil manner. But the "artful" concealment of facts to present a false image of conditions to me isn't truth. It's unfortunate that so many think this type of politics is business as usual. And that you don't believe people aren't smart enough to thoroughly check out anyplace before moving their business or family is disappointing. The method of tricking people into moving here without the truth leads to a strained untrusting collection of citizens and businesses. I don't want artful speeches to make me feel better, I want strait talking problem solvers. "
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steve smith wrote on Sep 2, 2008 11:40 AM:
" Silverthorn: By "artful" I mean someone who has the ability to accomplish goals without alienating (too many) people. Our on-line exchanges are a good example. Here we are, two people who disagree on key issues, but we have not sunk to name-calling and our dialog has continued for quite sometime. We are still talking in a civil, respectful manner, which is more than we can say for some members of the city council. An artful person navigates both sides of issues and understands that there is more to winning than just advancing one's agenda. Hope that helps. Steve "
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Silverthorn wrote on Sep 1, 2008 10:34 PM:
" Maybe you have a different term you use for concealing the truth. Sure, people do it all the time. When A car salesman tells you a car is good when he knows the transmission is bad, it's OK. It's just part of his job, just ask his boss. By the way Steve, what does, "An artful city councilperson understands how to solve the city's problems without broadcasting them nationwide", mean but hide the truth? Just wondering. I personally feel most adults would prefer to know the truth rather than have someone hold it back "for their own good". "
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Steve Smith wrote on Sep 1, 2008 7:46 PM:
" Silverthorn, show me where I wrote that we should hide the truth and I will donate $100 to your favorite charity. I have said only that we should not be broadcasting it on national TV and the radio. Thanks - Steve "
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Silverthorn wrote on Sep 1, 2008 7:04 PM:
" So you're sticking with the "let's not tell the truth because it sounds bad" philosophy. Gangs and illegal aliens (not immigrants) are a problem everywhere. The Chamber of Commerce may not want to face this because it makes it tougher but let's stop ignoring the elephant in the room. Illegals and gangs are at the root of most of the major issues we face. Politicians hiding the truth aren't "skilled" and cause more trouble than they avoid. One of RtR's faults wae their desire to look the other way on crime. Let's fix problems, not hide them from others. "
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Steve Smith wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:19 PM:
" Silverthorn: An artful city councilperson understands how to solve the city's problems without broadcasting them nationwide. Giving the nation the impression that the city is overrun with gangs and illegal immigrants is not the type of publicity we need. It works against the chamber of commerce and the service organizations (Lions, Rotary), who work hard to promote what is good about Costa Mesa and who are trying to attract the investment that produces the revenue we can use to solve the very problems the Complainers are complaining about. All of these issues, you see, are connected. Thanks - Steve "
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Silverthorn wrote on Aug 29, 2008 7:18 PM:
" Here we go again. I don't think the quote was about how CM is a terrible city. Stating truth should be applauded. Trying to hide information is what's wrong with a lot of politicians at all levels. I respect a campaign that states facts and outlines plans to accomplish stated goals. Not vague empty promises and attacks on opponents. If the best anyone can do is say "at least I'm not as bad as (insert-name-here)" they need to move on. We have enough of that in national politics. There's more at stake here than you think. That's my opinion. "
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steve smith wrote on Aug 29, 2008 2:17 PM:
" Silverthorn: Each candidate will say they have the best interests of the city in mind: lower crime, no gangs, more places for kids to play, a budget surplus, etc. So our choices, in my opinion, should be those who can accomplish these goals in ways that unify, not divide, the city and also who will be the city's best ambassadors. Going on national TV and on the radio to tell the nation what a terrible city this is is not good public policy. We must work WITH the chamber of commerce, not against it. "
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Silverthorn wrote on Aug 28, 2008 11:02 PM:
" I have to admit I don't know much about Mr. Sneen yet, but my biggest concern at this point is that Geoff West endorses him. That would make me wonder if he too is soft on crime and prone to irrational outburst whenever questioned on a statement or position. I am in favor of the "current majority" but also think a counterpoint on the council is a good thing as long as it's constructive and not just obstructive. Any group unopposed is a dangerous thing. But the current majority seems to have the best interests of CM in mind. "
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# # #

*All political candidates will say they're tough on crime. Words are cheap. What are their actions?

For example, "tough on crime" Flopsy Katrina Foley shows her toughness on crime by refusing to send a letter to President Bush asking him to secure our borders. And, she isn't keen on having an ICE agent in our jail. And she "fixes" her neighborhood's gang problem by planting flowers in front of the Mission-Mendoza slum and by delivering a bowl of pasta to the family of a man killed in a gang shooting, and she speaks to a group of suspected illegal alien day workers and let's them know, through an interpreter, that she's on their side.

We don't consider the actions of Foley to be tough on crime. Say, did we mention that Foley is up for reelection this year?

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them. Don't forget to check back later. We now update throughout the day, either when news moves, or when we get irritated--which, as you've probably guessed, is often.

CM PRESS # 475

HUH?

Look folks, this is an election year, so we can expect some wild claims from candidates and their supporters, but some of what we're seeing from some people is just silly.

We were going to write that we don't know where candidate Chris McEvoy is getting all his erroneous information, but we realize it's probably coming from a couple of hate bloggers. Junk in; junk out, Mr. McEvoy.

Here's a link to McEvoy's election site: http://votemcevoy.com/this-is-an-extremely-important-election-year-please-read/

Perhaps it's time for McEvoy to step back a little and actually read what Improvers have been saying for the past eight years, instead of just listening to the hate bloggers. We'll try to help him out a little.

Westside not west side
One minor house keeping chore first. McEvoy constantly refers to the Westside as the "west side." For some reason, he seems unaware that most people have now settled on the convention of calling it the "Westside," and that's the way it is written in the various Westside plans originating from CRAC and WROC. Even the almost daily Daily Pilot accepted this convention a couple of years ago.

Two sentences, three statements--not one correct--not one substantiated
Here's just part of what McEvoy has on his blog about his run for the City Council this year:

The developers want so badly to turn that area into South Orange County neighborhoods. The developers/ improvers think we have a Latino problem on the west side and would like all those apartments and communities to turn into South Orange County neighborhoods.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Let's take it piece by piece to show where Mr. McEvoy is going wrong:

"The developers want so badly to turn that area into South Orange County neighborhoods."

They do? Exactly which developers are those Mr. McEvoy? How about some names? Actually, he can't supply any names because this is nonsense. There is no land available that is large enough to do this even if someone wanted to do it. It would require massive eminent domain and the scraping of many acres. We studied the feasibility on CRAC and WROC of putting much of the Westside in a redevelopment zone and using eminent domain, and we turned it down.

The Improvers, who are the ones behind the overall strategy for improving the Westside, and who have been so from day one, have been very specific and vociferous in saying that they don't want the Westside turned into South County.

The Improvers usually cite Irvine as an example of what they don't want. Most improvers will tell you that they don't want to create a plastic, overly manicured, antiseptic area.

Westside--south/north
They see part of the Westside--the south part--perhaps with Placentia and 19th as its hub--as an eclectic, bohemian, artsy mixed use area of lofts, retail businesses, industrial businesses,etc. and they see the northern parts of the Westside as being pretty much as they are today, but with homes being fixed up and in some cases with major remodels.

Again, and just to put a point on this, most Improvers see this south part of the Westside as being, at least in part, a vibrant art colony that will attract artists--and customers with money to spend in Costa Mesa--from all over the area, but primarily from Newport Beach which is right next door.

Organic improvement
The main Improver idea is to let the Westside improve almost organically with just a little nudging or jump starting.

The conversations among Improvers these days involve just how much nudging or jump starting make sense and what form they should take.

The reason I wrote "perhaps" in the first sentence, three paragraphs above, is because the organic improvement that will take place won't be overly managed or planned and it'll be given some freedom to sprout when and where it will.

"The developers/ improvers think we have a Latino problem on the west side..."

Wrong.

Most will probably say, however, that there is an illegal alien problem. So far, ICE has deported about 700 illegal alien criminals from Costa Mesa, and many of these criminals were initially arrested for dangerous street crimes, including many felonies, on the Westside.

"... and would like all those apartments and communities to turn into South Orange County neighborhoods."

Wrong.

Barracks style apartments--functionally obsolete
Most Improvers probably agree, however, that we have too many deteriorating barracks style apartments that are too dense and which are functionally obsolete and which are serving as breeding grounds for crime, and that we need to provide modern low income housing that is more spread out.

Many cities, including Chicago, have aggressively moved to tear down such functionally obsolete buildings and replace them with modern low income housing--that doesn't even look like low income housing. This type of modern low income housing is good for the residents and it's good for the city.

Even Santa Ana recognizes that crime and some types of housing go hand in hand, and that city has been tearing out acre after acre of such housing.

Also to be noted, as something of an aside here, is the fact that right now, Costa Mesa is upside down in its renter v owner occupied residences. Our ratio is 60/40 and it should be about 40/60 or 30/70.

Not mimicry
In other places on his site, McEvoy says that Costa Mesa should not "mimic" other cities. What he is apparently referring to, and which he misunderstands, is the frequent call by Improvers to make our city more like our coastal neighboring cities.

Improvers are not saying that we should mimic these other cities. Rather, it is a call to look at them to see why they have a higher standard of living, lower crime rates, better schools, higher home values, etc. and then to take what we learn and see if we can adapt some of it to Costa Mesa so that the residents of our city also have a higher standard of living, lower crime rates, better schools, higher home values, etc.

Let's not try to reinvent the wheel. Study what works and analyze why it works and then apply what you learn to Costa Mesa.

Improvers are simply saying, let's make Costa Mesa a place to be and not a place to flee. Let's not let our city become the skid row for other cities or be their other side of the tracks.
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REPORT FROM CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

During public comments, aka the CM PRESS 3 minute TV show, we asked three questions and got no answers:

1. Ms. Foley, how are you doing with that letter that you said you were going to write and send to President Bush about securing our borders?

Background: About two years ago, four of the Councilmembers had signed and sent a letter to President Bush asking him to secure our borders.

Only Flopsy Foley refused to sign the letter back then. At the time, she tried to obfuscate matters by saying that she was going to write and send her own letter that would be more comprehensive.

Of course, she never wrote or sent such a letter.

2. City Council, the CM PRESS has noted that the monthly number of ICE detainers is down from last year. Could we find out why, since the number should probably actually be higher than last year?

3. City Council, the CM PRESS has noticed that some recent reports of "gang involvement" in the Orange County Register's crime logs for Costa Mesa, show "no location given," instead of the usual such and such street. Is this because the Register chose not to publish the locations or is it because the CMPD is not supplying that information, and if so, why isn't it supplying that information? It's important that people be aware of gang activity in their neighborhoods.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them. We'll be looking at misinformation being put out by other candidates in future issues.

CM PRESS # 474

Last updated, September 2, 2008, 2:12 PM--scroll down

HOW I MAY HAVE MISSED BECOMING A REAL LIFE RAMBO BY ONE DAY

Years ago, and not long after I got out of the Marines, and while I was living in a faraway city, I answered a blind ad from a box holder who was "seeking adventurous former military men."

The ad asked for a brief synopsis of military duties, combat experience, familiarity with various types of weapons etc.

I replied with a few details of some of my various assignments in the Marines.

Then, I promptly forgot about it.

Several weeks later, I met a girl and we went out on a date. I knew right away that I wanted to see her some more. After we agreed to meet again the next day, I dropped her off at her place, and went back to my apartment.

Early the next morning there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see a nerdy anemic looking little guy in a dark suit and tie standing there. He really did look like Mr. Peepers.

He asked if I was the person who had answered a recent ad. I said yes.

He then said that he had placed the ad and that he was looking for people with my type of training, experience and background.

He wanted to know if I had any problem with jumping out of planes. "Ah, with parachutes or not?" I asked. "With," was his reply. "Nope," I said. "How about jungles?" "I like 'em," I said.

"Say," I said, "just who are you and who do you work for?" "You can just call me Mr. Jones. I can't tell you any more than that right now," he equivocated. "Are you free to travel?"

It was then that I remembered the girl from the night before. "Actually, Mr. Jones, if you had been one day earlier," I replied, "I would have said that I'm free to travel, but I've just met someone and I want to see if anything serious develops."

"Okay," he said. "You know how to contact me. If something changes, drop me a note at the same box address." With that, he left.

Nothing changed, and I never saw him again.

Some months later, I read denials from our government that we had covert ops teams in the jungles of Cambodia and Laos.

The romance lasted for a few years and then soured.

If I had it to do over, I'd probably take the jungle over the girl, but life offers very few do-overs.
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AND SPEAKING OF RAMBOS...GERALDO SAVES NEW ORLEANS...AGAIN!

LINK

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NOTE TO ALMOST DAILY DAILY PILOT

We think your headline writer meant to write "led" not "lead." LINK

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SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN PULLING OUR PUNCHES, BUT THAT MAY SOON CHANGE

We've pretty much ignored a local blogger except in the most oblique ways. We've done this for a few reasons, and here are just two: 1) He serves as a good example of why people shouldn't vote for those he supports, and thus just helps elect good improvement minded candidates, 2) He doesn't seem very bright to us.

Not exactly a Mensa candidate (Latin definition) but rather one to whom the appellation mensa may apply. (Spanish definition)

On the first point above, this guy seems to have used some of his prune juice money to try to elect Schaefer and Garlich in the last election, only to see that money go down the drain and improvement candidates win the election.

And, on the second point, here's just the latest example from his blog: "As much as it pains me to admit infallibility... I published incorrect information."

Huh? It pains him to admit "infallibility"? He apparently doesn't know the difference between fallibility, and infallibility.

It's the same thing with the word "bigot" which he throws around. He apparently doesn't know that it means closed minded.

For reasons that we'll go into later, this guy has now appeared on our radar.

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THINGS FALLING INTO PLACE

We're pleased to report that the voters this year will have a very clear choice between Improvement--which means lower crime, higher home values, fewer gangs, safer streets, a nicer Westside; and Obstructionism. More later.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them. Be sure to check back often, as we now update each issue during the day if news and events move.

CM PRESS # 473

Last updated: Monday, September 1, 2008, 3:20 PM--Scroll down
MINI BLACK HOLES ON THE WAY?

10th September: First attempt to bring protons around the full circumference of the LHC, and the full commissioning with beams will start. LINK

[Photo is of Circinus galaxy with its massive black hole. The outer arm of the galaxy is about 700 light years from the center of the black hole. The Circinus galaxy is the closest active galaxy to our own Milky Way galaxy--about 13 million light years].
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OBAMA SAYS BACK OFF ATTACKS ON FAMILIES

Barack Obama said he's offended by attacks on Sarah Palin's family. We agree. LINK

Here in Costa Mesa, the CM PRESS has long had a policy that we will bend over backwards to avoid publishing anything negative about family members of any local politicians or public figures.

We get tips over the transom all the time, and we never use them. Families, and especially children, are off limits.

We even avoid attacks on politicians and public figures themselves when the stories involve their religion, private lives, sexual orientation, etc.

Several years ago, we had an operative of a congressman (not in our district) contact us to see if we would run some smear pieces on an opponent. We declined.

Later, we were contacted here in Costa Mesa and asked to run some smear stuff about a City Council candidate's sexual orientation. We declined.

When a couple of local politicians' sons had scrapes with the law. We didn't publish a word.

When a Latino activist's daughter had a scrape with the law. We were silent.

If we ever do publish such things, there will have to be a very, very good reason for doing so, and, even then, we will avoid sensationalizing it.

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ABOUT ANONYMOUS BLOG SITES

We believe that if you're going to write something about others, that you should have your name associated with what you write.

If you don't want your name associated with what you write, then you probably shouldn't be writing it.

We consider those who have anonymous blogs that attack others to be cowards and beneath contempt.

We also consider those who link to such blogs--in a transparent attempt to have someone else do their dirty work--to be just as cowardly and beneath contempt.

These are people who throw rocks and hide their hands.

One such blog in Costa Mesa is called CMTRUTH. This is run by a barely literate coward who is afraid to put his name with his blog.

He runs smears of others, but is too cowardly to put his name on his garbage.

If you read his blog, you'll see that some of the things he writes have a certain pattern and certain mistakes in the use of the language that he frequently makes. The authorities are also aware of these patterns and mistakes.

By the way, my name is Martin H. Millard, I approve of the things I write, and I stand behind them. And, I'm not hard to find. Back row, end seat, black shirt.
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IF YOU'RE RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN COSTA MESA...

If you're running for office in Costa Mesa, you may be contacted via telephone or email by the CM PRESS if we have some questions about your positions.

We will always clearly identify ourselves--Martin H. Millard.

We will never have anyone else do the calls or emails for us.

There are others with similar names in Costa Mesa.

If you are contacted by them, they are doing so for their own reasons--maybe to renew an old friendship, or to wish you well, or to help with your campaign, or for other reasons of their own.

They are not contacting you on behalf of the CM PRESS. We make our own calls and contacts. We do not delegate.
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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.