During one month, the Board of Supervisors made three different declarations of emergency – Napa earthquake, 2018 floods, and drought – all at the same time. At this point, I’m yearning for the simplicity of that time. Since then, we experienced two massive fires and... Continue
Columnist
Super Tuesday appears to have provided the likely answer to the question of who will be the Democratic Party’s candidate for President this November, and it ain’t Bernie Sanders. Despite his win in California, the combined votes for Biden and Bloomberg in this state outweighs... Continue
In politics, timing is everything. After a close win in Iowa, and a clear win in New Hampshire, the Bernie Sanders campaign had seized the narrative with a decisive win in Nevada. With the first three dominoes down, the campaign was shooting for a Super... Continue
Life on planet earth is a complex, adaptive system programmed for growth. Thus despite periodic major extinctions over its long history, earth continues to be populated by millions of species of plants and animals which have variously adapted to a wide range of habitats and... Continue
1950s San Francisco... On Haight and Belvedere, tightly wedged between my father’s dime store and the Superba Market, was Sweeney’s candy shop. The Sweeneys were a sweet white-haired couple who lived in the flat above their Haight Street store. Actually, now that I think about it,... Continue
Readers are doubtless relieved that the door finally hit 2019 in the behind and they won’t hear anymore about Threats to Democracy the nation resolved last year: the Mueller Investigation, Impeachment, Ukraine, War with Iran, opioid deaths, border walls, mass shootings, families in cages, fascists,... Continue
As I see it, evil is the willful infliction of pain and suffering on others. It's been with us for a very long time, and will continue to plague humanity into the future. Although people have wrestled with the problem of evil in various ways... Continue
Time flies by. It seems to flit past me at the speed of light. No wonder it’s a four letter word, but so is love. These two little words hit me with a thump on my head when an acquaintance died suddenly this month. We... Continue
Sonoma County estimates 3,000 people are homeless in the county, and is struggling to respond to this human crisis. $11 million was recently allocated by the Board of Supervisors, this largely in response to a homeless camp now occupying the Joe Rodota trail in the... Continue
In 1894, Charles Chatfield married Nellie Chamberlin, a no-nonsense Catholic girl. Nellie was stubborn and headstrong, and although exceedingly religious, she refused to consummate their marriage. In frustration, Charles took his bride to the priest who married them. Father Carr sat Nellie down and instructed... Continue