Public Citizen

Larry Barnett lives in Sonoma where he was elected to three terms on the City Council and served twice as Mayor. A thirty-five-year resident, he currently serves on Sonoma's Planning Commission, where he recently was Chair for two years. Until her passing, he was married to his wife Norma for 50 years, has two daughters and three grandchildren.

America’s fight reflex

I’m unhappy about the number of times I hear the word “fight” invoked in political discourse from representatives on both sides of the aisle. “I will fight for you” has become standard fare for politicians seeking public support, along with “fighting for legislation,” “fighting for... Continue

The end of the tunnel

It appears that the Light at the End of the Tunnel is finally in sight. According to the CDC, as well as state, county, local, Twitter, and Tik-Tok sources, all authorities rolling out the Covid vaccine now seem to be working from the same All-In-This-Together... Continue

All wrung out

I know this sounds silly, especially in these trying times, but I ran my hand around and around inside the dryer. I looked behind it, I stared into the hamper. Nothing. Where the hell was the other sock? I know everyone has lost socks. But... Continue

Is this the Brave New World?

Suddenly, the man who spent his time in the White House watching television, bellowing in the elegant carpeted hallways and salons, firing off volleys of tweets, and, need we add, inciting thugs to riot, is off the stage; and the world breathes a sigh of... Continue

GOP Doublethink

When the likes of Marjory Taylor Green, the newly elected representative from Georgia, starts spouting her QAnon nonsense about Jewish space lasers and baby-eating democrats, it’s easy to dismiss her as simply “looney” (as Mitch McConnell did) or a shameless publicity-seeker. Either or both of... Continue

My aunt Carmen died of Covid. I miss her.

By Loretta Susan Carr -- “Hello, Susan? It’s Carmen. Call me back.” That message is saved on my answering machine, and when I can bear to hear her voice again, I will push “play” and get ready to cry. Carmen was my dear aunt, my... Continue

Easy steps to get organized for taxes

Do you postpone, then grit your teeth, and steel yourself before diving into preparing data for your tax return? Don’t feel alone. I think about 90 percent of the population feels this way. Below are listed some steps to make this less challenging and more... Continue

Benches not fences

It’s been a long, nail-biting challenge. What have we learned from the pandemic, the fires, and the elections? That we need each other. Even if we say we’re introverted or we’re okay at home all the time, we know, in our bones, we are revived... Continue

Invasion of the hippocampus snatchers

In the midst of America’s “red scare” of the 1950s, Hollywood responded with films like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the horror flick that generated the meme of “pod people.” In the film, a psychiatrist is visited by a growing number of people who... Continue

Biden administration off to a good start

The events of the past week have reassured me that the Biden team learned from the experience of the Obama Administration. They realize that they have 18 months to deliver or be shellacked in the 2022 midterms. They share an updated Davos version of the... Continue

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