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�Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead�
-Lucille Ball
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
REGISTER TO VOTE
"The time is always right to do what is right"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The "seven social sins": Knowledge without character,
Science without humanity,
Wealth without work,
Commerce without morality,
Politics without principles,
Pleasure without conscience,
Worship without self-sacrifice."
--Gandhi
"We have not inherited the world from our forfathers -
We have borrowed it from our children."
--Kashmiri, proverb
California's Crazy Quilt of Politics Frays
By Joe Mathews and Peter Y. Hong
Arnold Schwarzenegger announces he's running for governor � on the "Tonight Show." From his wheelchair, Larry Flynt says he'll be the next governor because Californians are progressive enough to elect a pornographer. Angelyne, Hollywood's self-made billboard celebrity, has taken out papers.
The New York Times, Newsweek and National Public Radio have all called this state and its inhabitants crazy in recent weeks. ABC anchor Peter Jennings routinely refers to "the craziness in California," and CNN stories carry the graphic, "California's Crazy Recall."
Californians, after many generations of practice, are usually inured to insults from the jealous throngs who don't get to live here. But the recall-sparked crescendo of craziness has landed with unsettling force because so many of California's own residents have been throwing around the C-word.
Even the state's most loyal protectors � well-practiced at reminding critics that California has the world's fifth-largest economy, as well as its most advanced multicultural society � seem shaken.
"I have defended California in season and out, but I'm throwing in the towel this time," says Kevin Starr, the state librarian and author of several California history books.
"We sort of deserve it this time, don't we? You've got a leading candidate deciding or not deciding on Leno. This is a society melting down into deliberate self-parody."
Californians like Starr say the labeling of the state as crazy would be funny, if the instability wasn't taking such a toll. The price of California's bonds is way down, making it more expensive for the state and local governments to borrow money to cover deficits or build schools and roads. August commentators say the recall could make it easier for national Republicans to marginalize California.
"Yes, it's usually good to be talked about, even for the bad," says Hollywood nightclub owner Gene La Pietra, who is such a devotee of the just-spell-my-name-right school of publicity that he told a reporter Wednesday: "If I don't give you a good, juicy quote, you have my permission to make one up."
But La Pietra, who led a quixotic effort to get Hollywood declared its own city, says: "When the bankers on Wall Street are talking about lowering our bonds, when investors are talking about sitting out California, it's time to worry."
Few Californians admit to being any zanier than anyone else. Author D.J. Waldie calls the perception of the state's madness "a tired clich� that hangs over California like June gloom, impossible to dispel because it is ingrained in the American culture."
Political analysts point out that California has elected moderates to statewide office. And "there are a large percentage of voters discontented with Gray Davis, and they are going to see about an alternative," says Michael Barone, coauthor of the "Almanac of American Politics." "That's not insane."
On streets across the Golden State, many agree.
Strolling down Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, Dana Stevens of Brentwood points out that Minnesota elected former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura governor.
At Universal City Walk, Yvonne Renard, an El Cajon native who now lives in Louisiana, says her fellow church members in Shreveport "think Californians are crazy because of the freedom out here. Free loving, free living, free doing."
Immigrants and foreign visitors sometimes point out that compared to most of the world's governments, California politics are remarkably stable.
"An elected politician unable to complete his term is not something that we find so unusual," says Francesco Sciortino, the consul general for Italy in San Francisco.
"Italians feel perhaps closer to Californians than to people in other states. We like the California way � we find it not so far from our own."
Even while arguing that they aren't crazy, some Californians secretly embrace the label. The idiosyncrasies of the state and its people set it apart, providing it a distinction and an identity.
Besides, craziness sells.
Gary Mittin, an online entrepreneur, has already sold 200 "Arnold 4 Governor" T-shirts on his Web site, and has developed an "I like Dick" logo for Riordan backers.
(Mittin also purchased the rights to the http://www.riordanforgovernor.org site for $8.95, and he says he won't sell, even to the former L.A. mayor himself.)
Development Counselors International, a New York marketing firm, made headlines last year with a survey of business executives that found 57% calling California the worst state in which to do business. This year, the company opened a new office � in Los Angeles.
"California's always on the edge of quirkiness and setting trends. Now it's just at a different level with politics," says Sacramento public relations man Fred Sater, who was spokesman for the state Division of Tourism before it was eliminated by budget cuts in June. "The quirkiness, the nuts, fruits and flakes are all part of the appeal."
Adds San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Laurie Armstrong: "People love California because it is a crazy place. Why would you want to visit someplace normal?"
Viewed in that light, the recall makes more sense as an example of California's exceptional nature, not craziness. After all, both supporters and opponents of removing Davis seem to agree on at least one thing: the grandeur of their cause.
Recall opponents frame the effort as an attempt to end democracy and turn California into a banana republic. Supporters say California's first recall election is historic and necessary.
Then there are the hundreds of people who have taken out candidate papers to run to replace Davis if he is recalled. From Flynt to Angelyne to the filmmaker trying to win attention for his work, the candidates appear to be a self-aggrandizing lot, say political observers.
"This is the political equivalent of streaking: You show up, you run across the room naked and you get attention," says Stan Oftelie, executive director of the Orange County Business Council. He cites California's celebrity culture as part of problem. The marriage of that culture was on display last night on the stage of the "Tonight Show" in Burbank.
A movie star entered the governor's race on the show of a TV comedian, upsetting the plans of former L.A. Mayor Riordan � a lawyer who made a fortune and has spent much of it turning himself into a well-known politician � who might otherwise have been a candidate.
Perhaps, some suggest, California's image troubles result not from an epidemic of insanity but from a contagious preoccupation:
Vanity.
* Officially seeking a place on ballot
These Californians had filed for the Oct. 7 recall ballot as of Wednesday. The secretary of state will certify candidates next week.
Badi Badiozamani, Independent, San Diego
John W. Beard, Republican, North Hollywood (Editors note: Isn't/wasn't he a newscaster?)
Audie Bock, Democrat, Piedmont
Peter Miguel Camejo, Green, Oakland
Gary Coleman, Independent, Culver City (Editors note: And yes, this would the the Gary Colemen, of �What you talking �bout Willis?� fame)
Leo Gallagher, Independent, Agoura
Howard Allen Gershater, Independent, Camarillo
Gerold Lee Gorman, Democrat, Martinez
Richard Gosse, Republican, San Rafael
Sara Ann Hanlon, Independent, La Mirada
Jim Hoffmann, Republican, San Joaquin
S. Issa, Republican, Arcadia
Michael Jackson, Republican, Long Beach
Edward T. Kennedy, Democrat, Weaverville
D.E. Kessinger, Democrat, Riverside
Eric Korevaar, Democrat, La Jolla
Calvin Louie, Democrat, San Francisco
Robert Mannheim, Democrat, Agoura Hills
Tom McClintock, Republican, Thousand Oaks
Carl A. Mehr, Republican, San Diego
Leonard Padilla, declined to state, Sacramento
Heather Peters, Republican, Santa Monica
Ned Roscoe, Libertarian, Napa
Darrin H. Scheidle, Democrat, El Cajon
Diane Beall Templin, American Independent, Escondido
Brian Tracy, Independent, Solana Beach
Source: Los Angeles Times
Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times
~~~
Interesting that my co-worker Leigh is not listed above�of course, neither is Kevin Ryder, the DJ I listen to on KROQ every morning, who is also running. Plus, our Lt. Governor and our present Insurance Commissioner, bother Democrats, decided last night that they will now run, as well.
You�d think I would have a lot to say about this debacle, but really the only thing I have to say is that I figure this time next year Gray Davis will still be sitting in the Gubernatorial seat if only because these fools have made such a mockery of the whole thing. And in the meantime, we will have wasted billions of dollars. Now how exactly does that help us out in the midst of our budget crisis? None of these people actually care about the state, it seems obvious to me. They�re just trying to steal the office away without actually having to run for Governor. Otherwise, why didn�t Issa just run last year? He�s hoping people will be so pissed at Davis they want him out, but don�t have enough time to do their research and figure out he�s just a crook (see previous article on Issa).
Now that Arnold is in the race, my thought is that the Lt. Governor and Insurance Commissioner feel the Republicans actually may wrestle the seat away from Democrats so they�d better offer a good alternative.
Anyway�as far as Arnold goes�I have nothing against the man, per se. He seems like a nice enough man and is often rather amusing. But that�s all I can say about him. I have no idea where he stands politically, except that he is a Republican. He sponsored a bill which passed during our last election for some after-school program for kids, but that�s the only thing I�ve ever heard him take a stand on and that�s not exactly a risky platform. No matter ones political affiliation, I�m sure we all want kids to have something better to do after school than stand on street corners selling drugs. And nothing that Arnold said on Leno last night lent much enlightenment to his political opinions. �There�s a total disconnect between the people of the state and the politicians of the state.� Yeah�and? What are you gonna do to rectify that little problem, Arnold? Give me something concrete.
~~~
OK, so about the little shits (my brother�s kids)�
Frankly, I don�t remember if I�ve written about any of this before and I am too lazy to read back through my past entries, but this has been going on for a long time, so I may have. At any rate�
My brother Larry and his wife, Peggy, live in Northern Utah. They have two kids � Abby who is now 19 and Chris who is going to be 17 shortly. Larry has lived in Utah since he went to college there and the area in which they live is just gorgeous. However, once you finish all of your outdoor-type activities, it can get a bit�boring. Peggy gets bored and her kids have always gotten bored. I think it suits Larry just fine.
Anyway, Larry is rather successful, at least compared to the rest of our family. He�s of an upper-middle class income; has a nice, lovely, three-level home they bought when it was brand new; has a speed boat on which he takes his kids water-skiing and the like; he�s always taken his family on nice trips (like to Hawaii for Thanksgiving one year). He works for a company which has ties to the space program, so both of his kids have been to Space Camp and they�ve seen more than one shuttle take-off.
OK, yes, the kids have had to grow up Mormon, but no childhood is perfect, right? Kind of a cool life, if you ask me.
Apparently, though, his kids feel differently.
When Abby was 16 and Chris 14, we found out they�d been doing an extreme amount of drugs. Party drugs like Ecstasy and the like (I�m not sure how long the list of drugs is. I kind of get the impression that they would do pretty much anything). I had had my suspicions about drug use for a while. For instance, a few years ago we had a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. They came to town and ended up staying at my house (this was when I lived with John and we actually had a house big enough for company to stay over). Anyway, while Peg and I were baking one day, we talked a lot and she just broke down crying over her kids, especially Abby. She didn�t go in to a lot of details, but she was obviously really upset.
In all honesty, though, I just assumed at the time that Abby was probably smoking a little pot which, while I don�t approve of kids smoking pot or doing anything which may interfere with their natural development�well, I just thought that because Peggy and Larry are so ultra-conservative and religious, they were probably over-reacting to something which would end up being relatively harmless.
Uh�turns out I was wrong. I know, I know; but it happens on occassion.
Of course, their drug use included the usual symptoms of lying to their parents, stealing from their parents, disappearing for extended periods of time, etc. Abby was the main culprit in all of this; it sounds like Chris essentially went along for the ride.
About six months later Abby was in rehab and not of her own volition. They had to literally drag her, kicking and screaming, in to the facility. Chris soon followed.
With Chris, things are a little different. I don�t think he ever actually got addicted to any drugs. However, it turns out he is Manic-Depressive and was using drugs essentially to self-medicate. He was also a lot more eager to find help for himself (because by this time he was suicidal) and so was out of rehab a lot quicker than was Abby, and in a lot better shape because he was finally diagnosed properly and prescribed the appropriate medication. That�s not to say things have been perfect, but he�s doing a lot better.
Abby is another story. She would do well, get close to getting out of rehab and then back-slide. This facility let the kids come home on weekends, once they reached a certain �level� in their search for sobriety. Inevitably, this is when she would backslide and have to start the process all over again.
Abby was in rehab until she turned eighteen, at which time they could not hold her against her will. The good news is that she graduated high school and even took her SATs while in the facility (on which she did rather well). Both of those kids were always very smart but over the last few years their grades had fallen horribly as a result of the drug use (you know � things like not showing up to class because they were out getting high with their friends tended to interfere with their getting decent grades).
In actuality, it seemed like Abby and Chris were doing a lot better for a while. Abby then went back to the drugs and got kicked out of her parents home (except that they let her back in). Chris went back to school and I really don�t know if he�s back doing drugs or not, but from what I know he seems to be doing a lot better. Over the summer, he voluntarily went on some work-program with other boys his age in which they all went away for two months to build bridges and roads. Hard work and work I don�t think you can do while high on X, but as I�ve never taken that drug I can�t say for sure. Now he�s off visiting a friend he met while working there, in Washington, until school starts in a few weeks.
Abby is another story. She has always loved the outdoors and since she graduated high school, she�s been working at National Parks. She works at one for a few months, then goes off to work at another. Generally, her parents have known where she was, she has kept in contact with them and she has stayed at home with them at times, too.
Well, a few months ago they lost track of her (see word for the day, below�man, those words always seem to tie in to my journal entries). I believe she was in the state of Washington when they stopped hearing from her. Long story short, she called them a couple of weeks ago and she was in Hawaii, staying at a hostel. For how long, nobody knows.
Now, on the one hand I would like to think that Abby is just strong and confident enough to go traveling all over by herself, getting jobs when she needs money and just seeing the world. Kinda like the Big Kahuna from Gidget, only female.
Realistically, what I really think is happening is she�s traveling the world, taking drugs everywhere, hooking up with strange men and doing Lord knows what illegal activities in order to pay her way. I can only hope she at least uses condoms.
And it sickens me. Larry and Peggy are kind, decent people who have done everything they know to do for their kids (granted, in my opinion they�ve spoiled them, but hey�what can you do?). And what thanks do they get? Phone calls in the middle of the night saying, �Oh, hi Mom. I�m in Hawaii for the time being.�
Needless to say, they are very worried about their kids. I guess getting a phone call is better than not getting one at all, but still.
In just a couple of weeks, Larry and Peg will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with a trip to Alaska (they�re going either right before or right after Barbara and Arnett, I can�t remember). This is the first trip they have taken by themselves in�well, like 18 years, I think. Barbara was talking to Peg yesterday and Peggy was saying they�re afraid to get excited because they just have this nagging feeling that the kids will end up ruining it. And you know they�re just gonna spend their entire trip worried, anyway. They try to do their normal stuff, to live their lives, but do you ever really forget about this kind of worry?
Even though this entry was long, believe me when I say that it has been condensed in extremis. The trials and tribulations these kind folks have had to endure over the last three years or so have been legion. And I have nothing to offer them except empathy, which is really nothing at all. I just can not imagine wandering the earth and doing all of this crap that Abby does, all the while knowing that her kind and loving parents are at home worried sick.
Neither Abby nor Chris has ever said anything bad about their parents, or tried to blame them for their drug use (although they do blame the �boring� state of Utah and the Mormon church, to some extent). So I just don�t understand treating them this way.
I know that people have illnesses; people get in over their heads and I am not one to point fingers and give someone grief because they have a drug problem. That�s not what makes me angry. I don�t even begrudge Abby her traveling around. Hey, more power to ya! Do that now, while you�re young and can do so without commitments and responsibilities. What makes me angry is the manner in which I assume she is �taking care� of herself, of course, but more importantly to me is that there is a way of traveling around where you keep your parents and the people who love you in the know. Parents are always going to worry about their kids, but you don�t just hop on a plane when nobody knows where you�re going, how to get hold of you or when/if they�ll ever see you again. You just don�t do that.
There are millions of kids on this planet who would kill to have parents who care about them as much as my brother and his wife care about theirs. These kids have such a great life and so many opportunities and Abby, at least, has just shit it all away. My only comfort is that she�s still young enough to get her life back on track. However, she is obviously not yet anywhere near a place where she plans on doing that.
~~~
Word for the Day, August 7, 2003
incommunicado in-kuh-myoo-nih-KAH-doh, adverb or adjective: Without the means or right to communicate.
~~~
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~~~~~~~~~~~peace, love and smooches~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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