The other day I saw a post by Sarah Ford in Facebook, the words Sonoma VAL ley Sun inside a red heart. It was a fitting tribute to Val Robichaud our publisher at the Sun. Seeing it made my heart break once again and made... Continue
Columnist
With so much uncertainty these days, the passing of local publisher Val Robichaud and the possible discontinuance of his journalistic contribution to the community, the Sonoma Valley Sun newspaper, are distressing losses, both intellectual and emotional. Besides learning about local issues in the Sun’s news... Continue
“Snark if needed.” Those words often accompanied my column of “Snark Infested Waters” when I submitted it to Val Robichaud so he could decide whether to include it in the next issue of the Sonoma Valley Sun. The implication — expectation? — was that he... Continue
March 2, 2024 Dearest Val, After all the years of wrestling with the challenges of keeping print alive, I am so deeply sad and lost to have you gone. Good God, you were the godfather of The Sun. I have waited to write - waited... Continue
I started writing for The Sun in 2005, while I was Mayor of Sonoma. I’d write a “Mayor’s” column once a month, and thereafter continued to write monthly. I offered to write a weekly column and have been writing a column for every edition since... Continue
Call it a demiurge, cosmic force, or God; for hundreds of generations humankind has believed in a prime mover of the universe, a cosmic hand upon the wheel. The alternate idea, that the universe and life began accidentally or spontaneously without the intercession of a... Continue
Chapter 69: November 1950 • Sonora Larry’s diary (age 16) Nov 1 New springs for horn. Got up at 3:30. Cop stopped me in Escalon, front light out. Nov 2 Played solo for Tuolumne County Education Association, all of the teachers. Nov 3 Lost 2nd game of... Continue
The mainstream media will not cover deeply political issues like immigration as a journalistic search for truth but as a debate in which they cover both sides. It's maddening. That structural defect in MSM is why the 'open borders' myth is never addressed. We are... Continue
In the wake of our most recent round of storms, in which steady downpours and fierce winds resulted in flooded roads, swollen creeks and rivers, downed trees, and prolonged power outages, I have had Sonoma County’s unincorporated communities on my mind. Along with Supervisor Hopkins,... Continue
I’ve been thinking about the French Revolution, how it led to the bloody Reign of Terror that killed tens of thousands and eventually to the tyranny of Napoleon. Some view such revolutions through the lens of class struggle: the inevitable revolt of an oppressed and... Continue