My wife wanted me to write about the evils of artificial grass–astroturf–as a replacement for the real thing in this time of drought. Nah. But I will begin with something equally fake–the notion that the stars and bars represents Confederate culture and history, and is symbolic of the valor of that side’s soldiers. It seems […]
They say practice makes perfect. This isn’t necessarily so. In all my years as a practicing Catholic I was never a perfect one, and am now in a lapse that has lasted 35 years. To be clear, I’m not even a Christian anymore. But neither are those who ascribe natural or man-made phenomena to the […]
Let me start by saying this writing is not a discussion on which religion is more Godly or who will be ascending into Heaven and who will fall into the pit of despair. That is a debate that has been waging since the beginning of time and continues to this day. This is also not […]
The Valley Voice is accused, occasionally, of not being balanced. As the editor, I receive many letters and emails on a wide range of topics. Let me show you what being unbalanced truly looks like verbatim: Kumbayah LGBT, please let us keep our freedoms of religion, speech, a ssociation and assembly. (Letter to the editor […]
Frustratingly, I remain the worst musician in the history of sound. Practice, which is supposed to make for Perfect, in my case only gives rise to noise. But what’s worse than maladroit fingering is my memory. It does not linger. I resume with my favorite guitar, a semi-hollow custom dual split-coil Telecaster, and can almost […]
The inquest began with Judge Valeriano Saucedo taking the stand in his own defense. Initial questioning centered around his background, and emphasized his many friends, family and colleagues who obviously care for and respect the man. Interwoven with Saucedo’s career is a particular thread of affirmative action against “whites” which predominates much of his path to the bench. As a child of migrant farm laborers, he […]
I’m writing this on my birthday–the 52nd–and it feels the most portentous yet. Twenty-one bounced off, for instance, and turning 40 was meaningless. It is not that I dread a beckoning mortality, or even feel–in fact–that it is approaching. As I have said before, there have been days when death has seemed the attractive option. Neither is it the […]
The famous question, posed in song, asks, “What will we do with the drunken sailor?” Apparently, there are only four acceptable options: The crew could “shave his belly with a rusty razor”–which sounds distinctly unpleasant–or, much more agreeably, “put him in a longboat till he’s sober.” The sailor, presumably, would sleep it off there. But […]
The recent coverage of the emerging problems inside Tulare County Animal Control (TCAC) is of public interest, where it resurrects issues significantly impacting county residents–particularly disabled persons relying upon service or support animals. From the November 20, 2014 Valley Voice article, “Tulare County Sued by Former Animal Control Employees”: “In 2013, Animal Control took in […]
Founded in 2008, the Tulare & Kings Counties Chapter of PFLAG continues to serve the parents, families, friends, and supporters of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning) community in Tulare and Kings Counties. From its founding in New York City in 1972 by Jeanne Manford, a mother determined to support her gay son, […]