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.

Freedom, selfish and otherwise

I grew up being told that democracy is messy; the events of this year certainly prove it. The freedom to vote is not - and has not been - a “human right;” rather it’s a privilege bestowed upon particular groups of people deemed eligible. As... Continue

My bullet-riddled body

During my many years in local politics and as a community activist, I’ve been subject to plenty of criticism, some of it in print and some of it in person; it’s the price I pay for speaking out and taking action. I’ve been called a... Continue

The taste of shame and bile

Chapter 9: Backstory, my maternal grandparents -- Diary of Charley Chatfield (age 17), the oldest child of Charles and Nellie Feb 24 Warm and clear, chopped wood. Got a new baby sister. (Ina) May 23 Warm and clear. Went to Forsyth in an automobile. May 25 Warm and clear.... Continue

It’s time to make America governable again

The Republican Party has not accepted the results of the 2020 election and the traditional “peaceful transfer of power” may never happen. Not good, folks. The hilarious legal escapades of the Trump team seem unlikely to reverse the results. A Beltway veteran like James Baker... Continue

Community outreach in times of crisis

I am not going to sugar coat it -- this year has been incredibly rough on all of us. At its core, the theme has been isolation – we cannot gather together as we have in years past, and at no time is that more... Continue

Living in a doctrinal world

Our cultural narratives, and every culture has them, contain doctrines of belief. These doctrines vary, just as the original languages of separated cultures vary, including vocabulary, word meanings, idioms, and implications. As each of us is born into a culture, so too are we indoctrinated,... Continue

Rolling with it

This year’s been a roller coaster ride. We were waiting nervously at the top of it, then whooshing down the wheel, gasping for breath, we landed. Sort of. Cancelled travel, pandemic panic, unpacking evacuation bags, wondering if the fire season is really over, or if... Continue

Moving forward, looking back

History is a living thing; the way we think about today may not be the same way people think about it in the future. We’re only human, after all, and the decisions we make are sometimes good, sometimes not so good, and sometimes terrible. None... Continue

The United States of suspended animation

The most prominent feature of this unsettling interregnum following the election is the lack of closure. We did not get the release of dread or the angst of defeat. The Constitutional machinery was not designed for this kind of malicious bad-faith stress test. The Fox/Breitbart/Rush... Continue

After life

I understand why people invented god. Life is full of surprises, many of them terrible. Searching for answers about why we suffer is mostly a fool’s errand. Shit happens. Yet despite the challenging uncertainties of living, the world’s religions, whether Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or... Continue

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