Mensa Metamorphosis?

"YOUR NEIGHBOR" REDUX
You all know the high regard I have for our old buddy, "Your Neighbor" (The Mouth From Mesa North), or as he has referred to himself in the past, "Mr. U. Know-Who". I've written many, many times about him and his insidious influence on our city and his warped "if-it-ain't-white-it-ain't-right" philosophy.

THE BRAIN WHO ATE COSTA MESA
I've written that I thought he has a prodigious intellect, but that it's been wasted on his attempts to sway public opinion against those who are not white. I've acknowledged that he's one smart fella, ( He purports to be a member of Mensa, among other things) but that his views are twisted by his obvious racial bias. He and I seldom agree on much. In fact, back when our local newspaper of record, The Daily Pilot, was publishing his submissions they would occasionally publish our separate views juxtaposed on the same page. That was fun.

SPEWING VENOM
Our old pal continues to stand before our city council and other public bodies and spew his venom about whatever his cause du jour happens to be. And, it appears, he does continue to influence a few folks around town, including some elected and appointed officials. It's sad..

METAMORPHOSIS
Lately our pal seems to be undergoing a metamorphosis. You know that word, right? One definition of that word is, "A change in an animal as it grows, particularly a radical change, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly." In my view, though, this metamorphosis is more likely to result in a cockroach than a butterfly.

SHIFTING GEARS
Our old buddy seems to be shifting gears these days. His pathetic blog, the CM Press, has become a kind of Drudge Report wannabe - an aggregator of "news". Except our buddy has chosen to insert radical racial articles that support his warped view of the world into his aggregations. Rather than focus on local news he's taken to trying to solve the world's problems as a blog poster.

"OUR WAY FOR OURSELVES ALONE"
Even more interesting is a site I discovered that he's been authoring for many months. Here's a link to it. Before you go visit this site, understand that it appears to be a "work in progress" - well over 40,000 words so far, and counting! I visit it every now and then and it seems to be in a constant state of flux. My take on this lengthy bit of propaganda is that our pal has finally gone off the deep end and now actually believes he's a deity! Yep, God, himself!

NOT THE "GOD" YOU HOPED FOR
Of course, that explains a lot of what he writes and says. Except, he's not the benevolent "God" one hopes for - he's an impatient deity, who suffers no fools. That must make it tough for him, because he apparently views every other human being to be inferior to him. As he stands before the city council, for example, he will frequently refer to them using such terms as "stupid", and other terms of endearment.

WHY WRITE ABOUT HIM?
So why, Potstirrer, do you write about this guy? Glad you asked. Under most circumstances I would simply ignore his perverted pontifications. I wouldn't give a hoot that David Duke, former head of the KKK, thinks he's a great writer - which he does, according to his web site. I wouldn't care about the hundreds of essays he's had published online on sites like the New Nation News web site, HERE, and many others over the past decade. I wouldn't give a second thought to the fact that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers him a dangerous fellow and has developed a sizable file on him and his writings. After all, he's just one pathetic, misguided guy, wasting his prodigious intellect trying to spread hate in the world.

HIS INTIMIDATING INFLUENCE IS SIGNIFICANT
Except - and that's a BIG EXCEPT - his vile pronunciations contaminates my city. When he growls like an angry gorilla before our city council about issues using all his skills developed as an actor - which are not much, believe me - he does influence decisions made by our leaders. When he was appointed by his sycophants on the council to the powerful 3R Committee he was able to manipulate the process used to distribute government funds to charities in our city to the detriment of those that serve our large Latino population.

PAULARINO PARK
When he decided that he didn't want hard-working Latino men kicking a soccer ball around a neighborhood park near his home he raised the specter of children being injured by errant balls, adult men defecating in the bushes, etc. Sure enough, even there was no evidence that this was happening, he frightened enough people that he successfully had the park turned into a passive park - where no one can actually go to engage in active recreation. If you want to go sit and watch grass grow, Paularino Park is the place for you.

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE SWAP MEET
Several years ago he was almost successful in his move to abolish the Orange Coast College Swap Meet - a weekend venue of low-end commerce frequented by many of our Latino neighbors. He painted a picture of invading hoards of terrible Santa Ana residents, driving on our streets and wearing them out. It almost worked until wiser minds prevailed and his move, championed on the city council by then-rookie councilman Allan Mansoor, went down in flames.

AZTEC BASKETBALL LEAGUE
More recently his bleating before the Parks and Recreation Commission about a contract with the Santa Ana-based Aztec Basketball League in which he painted a similar picture for them of gang-bangers and ex-cons invading our Downtown area every Sunday, terrorizing our women and children caused the commission to turn to stone when it came time to vote on the contract. Only after much community outcry did the commission re-hear the issue and the contract was approved. That only happened after the issue was passed upstream to the City Council and Mansoor required the owner of the league to change the name of his business to eliminate the offensive "Aztec" reference. Such is his influence over some of our weak-minded leaders.

THE REASONS FOR HIS HATE?
Those are just a few of the reasons I've written this little essay. I could write about many, many more - and may do so one day. I don't know why "Your Neighbor" has such a strong, deeply-rooted hatred for people of color, but his actions clearly tell us he does. Perhaps he or a member of his family has had a bad experience with a member of a minority group and that has caused him to spew his hatred for so many years. Perhaps he views Costa Mesa as a place where insufficient intellectual horsepower is found in our elected leaders, which makes it easy for him to sew his seeds of intolerance. Maybe it's all of the above and more.

STAND UP TO HIM!
Whatever the reasons for his actions, it is my opinion that his ongoing presence in municipal matters is an insidious influence on our city. It does not serve the residents of our city well. I can only hope that the current council - at least a majority on the council - will finally have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to this bully, and that future elected leaders will do the same.

EXPUNGING THE EXPUNGER

SIMPLE PLEASURES
As an old coot I find myself getting joy in small ways - a magnificent sunset, the smiles of the beautiful children in my neighborhood and the way my heart pounds when my wife comes home from work each night. These kinds of pleasures bring as much joy as would winning the lottery - although I'd like to test that theory one of these days, just to be sure.

DAILY PILOT MAKES ME SMILE
Today another event occurred that brought a big smile to my face. A loyal reader pointed out that the Daily Pilot - our newspaper of record for a century - deleted the CM Press from it's roster of community blogs. I'm sorry, but I just can't stop smiling.

STRAINED RELATIONS
For years the relationship between the author of the CM Press, Mr. U. Know-Who, and the management of the Daily Pilot have been strained - to say the very least. For years he would submit commentaries, some of which would be published and some would not. He never failed to express his displeasure when one of his "Mensa meanderings" didn't make the editorial cut and has threatened legal action when he disagreed with characterizations in the Pilot.

THE ODD COUPLE
There was a time when, I'm sure to provoke controversy, the editors would publish letters from Old Grumpy and me side-by-side. I thought it was fun. Old Grumpy was ticked off to have his "stellar" work appear beside the feeble efforts of a guy who spends his days living in a cave, wearing a tin foil hat - according to him. That made it even more fun.

EVER THE CRITIC
Recently Mr. U. Know-Who - who apparently views himself as Jimmy Olson because he played a reporter (badly) in a terrible movie 35 years ago - has decided he knows all there is to know about publishing a local newspaper, so he's begun using his pathetic blog to instruct the editors of the Pilot on what they need to do to save the paper. I'm sure those comments endeared him to them.

SHARP STICK TO THE EYE
For a guy who tells us he's very smart, he sure doesn't act that way. I mean, does he really think he's going to get a receptive ear from the editors of the Daily Pilot when he perpetually pokes them in the eye with a sharp stick? Not likely.

VILE ASSOCIATIONS?
Or, maybe the editors decided to de-link his blog because they didn't think their community newspaper serves it's readers well by linking to a notorious right-wing extremist who uses the esteem in which he is held by KKK poster boy David Duke as a tool with which to market his pathetic books. That seems like a good reason to me.

HOW DO YOU LIKE IT, GRUMPY?
So, Mr. U. Know-Who has been expunged from the roster of community bloggers on the Daily Pilot pages and I find myself wondering how he likes it. After all, he's been trying to expunge the Latinos from our city for most of this decade. I wonder how it feels for him to be the "expungee" instead of the "expunger"? In my humble opinion, it's long over due.

Mr. U. Know-Who Gets It Wrong - Again!

MR. U. KNOW-WHO SCREWS UP - AGAIN!
Over at the CM Press this morning, in entry #554, Mr. U. Know-Who - the racist goof ball that pretends to be a reporter just because he played one (badly) for 19 seconds in a terrible movie 35 years ago - demonstrates to his readers just what a pathetic and unreliable "news source" the CM Press really is.

WRONG INFORMATION - AGAIN!
In addition to his abnormal fixation with Katrina Foley and his perpetual pusillanimous pontification about the Daily Pilot, today he again criticizes the Costa Mesa Senior Center Board of Directors for the position some of them apparently take regarding his "golden girl", Wendy Leece and her desire to be a real, voting member of the board, going so far as to list them by name on his blog. Here's his list, as published on #554:

Executive Committee of Board

Mike Scheafer, President

Joan Weeks, Vice President

Ronald Frankiewicz, Treasurer

Bruce Garlich, Secretary

Del Heintz, Past President

Board Members

Pastor Bill Gartner,

Phyllis Daugherty,

David Kinkade,

Gwyn P. Parry, M.D.,

Scott Roberts,

Byron de Arakal,

Dan Worthington,

Arlene Flanagan,

Marty Burbank

OOPS!
Only problem here is that he continues to use an old web site, which lists a previous iteration of the board! If he were just a little more conscientious he'd be able to provide accurate information to his readers to supplement his biased rants. Here's the actual roster of directors from the correct web site:
Executive Committee of Board
Arlene Flanagan
President
Joan Weeks
Vice President
Ronald Frankiewicz
Treasurer
Bruce Garlich
Secretary
Mike Scheafer
Past President

Board Members
Phyllis Daugherty
Judy Lindsay
Patricia Linsky
Gwyn P. Parry M.D.,
Dan Worthington

SMART AND STUPID AT THE SAME TIME
I guess when you're a member of Mensa, as he tells us he is, people will automatically accept what he says as gospel. Ha! What a joke! Anyone who has read his rants for awhile understand that they are nothing more than his opinions, founded in his beliefs that the Aryan race is doomed unless all real "white" people go forth and reproduce.

NOT PAYING ATTENTION
Now, we know Mr. U. Know-Who over at the CM Press reads these pages because he vents his spleen frequently on his site about things that have been written here. Too bad he doesn't pay attention to what appears here, though. If he did, he would realize that we provided the link to the current Costa Mesa Senior Center web site, which included the current roster of directors. Here's the link, again, to the correct web site. We tried to make it easy for old Mensa Marty, but he just didn't take the hint.

MANIPULATOR
Mr. U. Know-Who continues to mislead his readers with "facts" that he makes up to fit his bias. Certainly, at least a few of them are smart enough to realize how he's trying to manipulate them, right? Maybe not...

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your "New" Costa Mesa City Council!

ADIOS, LINDA, AND THANKS
Last night, after bidding departing council member Linda Dixon a fond adieu with a nice video tribute prepared by the city staff and accolades from Wendy Leece and Katrina Foley, the new City Council was sworn in and seated on the dais. Congratulations to Katrina, Eric Bever and Gary Monahan.

AT LEAST SHE'S THERE...
It will come as no surprise that Katrina Foley WAS NOT elected as Mayor. No chance of that happening with this council. At least they allowed her to remain on the dais and didn't force her to sit in the audience!



MANSOOR AND LEECE (SOUND FAMILIAR?)
Allan Mansoor was nominated by old newcomer Gary Monahan as Mayor, which was seconded by Wendy Leece. Mansoor was unanimously elected to a term which should take him to the end of tenure on the council in 2010. Mansoor then nominated Wendy Leece as Mayor Pro Tempore (seconded by Monahan after a pregnant pause) and she was also elected unanimously.

POLITICAL GAMES
So, we're right back where we were a couple years ago, with Wendy stuck to Mansoor's hip like a barnacle. And, we're all set up again for the old "dais shuffle" that Mansoor and Bever pulled a year ago when they swapped seats. Watch for Mansoor to give up his seat to Wendy again in about a year so she can run for re-election as "Mayor" - a huge leg up on the competition. Ah, the political games we play in good old Costa Mesa.

MR. U. KNOW-WHO RANTS
One amusing sidebar did occur during public comments. A local activist - Mr. U. Know-Who - seemed to almost blow a gasket as he instructed the council on their responsibilities regarding the two school foundations. He accused the foundations of violating their agreements with the city and violating the law. I thought the poor, deluded man was going to stroke out right there at the speaker's podium.

BERRY BLATHER
Bever's campaign chairperson, the perky Judi Berry, instructed the council that they need to think about cutting salaries or staff to balance the budget and included an illegible graph as part of her presentation. She was followed to the podium by her husband, Mike, who continued the script with his own rant. What a team!

DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON THEM
I'm apprehensive about what to expect from this council. They've been described in some venues as the most conservative council in recent memory. I think that's probably accurate. I suspect we'll see some moves to restrict individual freedoms from this group and will almost certainly result in further legal challenges as the next couple years pass. History shows us how they vote on many issues. Mansoor and Leece, in particular, seem determined to overlay their extreme right-wing views on our community. This does not bode well for our city, and the Latino population and those entities that provide a support system for them, in particular. This group is still smarting from the whole "Benito Acosta" affair (Monahan mentioned it during campaign forums) and will likely look for opportunities to strike back.

ENJOY THE BREAK
We now have a month to gather our thoughts, celebrate the holidays and try to figure out just what to do with the budget come January. Comments from residents last night implied that everything should be on the table - even staff cuts. Funny, I didn't hear any of the council members volunteer to work for a dollar a year until the crisis is over - maybe that will come in January (he says, stifling a snicker).

Final Forum In The Can

FINALLY!
Whew! That's it! The final candidate forum of the 2008 cycle is done, finished, in-the-can!

ANOTHER GOOD FORUM
Last night's forum, held at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant on Fairview, was another success. The sponsors - faith-based groups - did a fine job of conducting the event before an audience of nearly 70 people total. Around 50 people stuck it out to the very end. You can read Daily Pilot reporter Alan Blank's account of the meeting HERE.

SOMEONE'S WATCHING
The tone of this forum was quite civil - perhaps because the candidates were seated in front of that large cross...

DE BOOM IN CHARGE
The moderator, Daily Pilot columnist and long-time community activist Jim deBoom, did a good job of firing the questions at the candidates. With only a minute for each response, the candidates had to be quick with their replies. Since this is the final forum they all had learned the mechanics of the process by now. Having had most of the questions in advance helped - it gave them a chance to prep for their answers.

ARROGANT BEVER A NO-SHOW - AGAIN
Again, Mayor Eric Bever was a no-show. I guess he must feel he's got this election in the bag because this is the second forum in as many weeks - neither of which were televised - that he has failed to show for. Talk about arrogance! The editors of the Daily Pilot were right when they chose to ignore him when preparing their endorsements.

MR. U. KNOW-WHO LURKED BRIEFLY
And, again, Old Grumpy from Mesa North made only a cursory showing, arriving more than 15 minutes late and leaving after around a half hour. He immediately slithered back to his Mesa North cave and wrote a scathing comment on a pre-existing blog entry - he's getting lazy that way lately - denouncing forum participants as a "bunch of phony blowhards". Of course, since he only stayed for a few minutes, took no notes, then bugged out, he really has no idea of the nature of the questions or comments after he left. This is his style - fabricating facts and outright lies. He followed that up with another fear-laced attack on those candidates who pose a threat to his troika with the specter of rampaging gang, bars on doors and windows in Mesa del Mar, etc. The guy really is a racist fear-mongerer.

FOUR QUESTIONS, PLUS
The hosts of the forum presented each of the candidates with four questions, plus a couple composed by members of the audience. The four "canned" questions were: 1) How each candidate would educate themselves on the needs of the community, particularly the youth?; 2) In light of the current fiscal uncertainty, which budget items should not be reduced and which are the most expendable?; 3) Do they support or oppose a gang prevention program as well as enforcement?; 4) who do they feel is the most under-represented group in our city?

BUDGET
Alan Blank's article covers many of the details of the answers. In the case of the first one, each would do some form of "reaching out" to the community and/or staff. On the subject of budget plans, the consensus was that public safety can't be touched. Foley emphasized the fiscally conservative nature of our city staff. McEvoy suggested eliminating the pay for City Council members and instituting a city-operated towing operation to generate income. Reedy again bemoaned the loss of the opportunity for the public to consider an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT).

GANGS
On the subject of a gang intervention program, most candidates supported that concept, acknowledging that enforcement alone isn't enough. Righeimer said we need programs that work - duh!

WHO IS THE MOST UNDER-REPRESENTED?
The final question from the hosts, about which group in our city they feel is the most under-represented, evoked some interesting responses. Moss, Sneen, Reedy and Foley all said it was the youth of our community. Bunyan said it was the seniors and homeless. Righeimer said it was those in our community who were "least, last, lost" - the homeless. McEvoy said it was the Latinos, which represent 38% of our population, and cited the fact that there were no Latinos running for office. Monahan, predictably, said it was the seniors and those with physical or developmental disabilities.

LATINOS - JOBS AND HOUSING
The first two questions submitted by audience members dealt, in broad terms, with affordable housing and the demise of the Job Center, primarily as those issues effect the Latinos in our city. All candidates agreed that we need affordable housing, but the practicalities of where it would be placed is a big stumbling block.

JOB CENTER
The Job Center was a a more contentious issue. Some of the answers were predictable. Monahan does not support re-opening a Job Center. Foley voted against closing the old one. Reedy, Sneen, McEvoy and Bunyan think we should open another one. Bunyan said we need better rules and enforcement. Sneen thinks a training element should be included. Moss said we should look to private enterprise to provide job placement services.

EASTSIDE REVITALIZATION? WHAT?
An audience member submitted a curious question about what the candidates would do to revitalize the Eastside - implying that all the attention had been paid to the Westside. Most responses had to do with infrastructure - traffic improvements, alley improvements, etc. Reedy mentioned the fledgling Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbors group.

JWA, LIBRARY, PAULARINO PARK
Jim deBoom asked a series of "yes or no" questions. All the candidates supported caps on flights out of John Wayne Airport, building a new central library and all agreed, if elected, to meet with the sponsoring group of this forum. None of the candidates felt Paularino Park should be returned to a state where soccer could be played.

FOLEY, RIGHEIMER AND SNEEN GET MY VOTES
This final chance to see and hear most of the candidates only further cemented my decisions on how to mark my ballot - which I will be doing today. I will vote for Foley, Righeimer and Sneen. The Daily Pilot ran an abbreviated version of my recent blog posting on my choices yesterday, which can be read HERE. I'm still very impressed with all the candidates. Both Chris Bunyan and Chris McEvoy continue to impress me with their insightful, and sometimes quirky, solutions to problems.

MONAHAN/SINGH AND $7,000
The buzz around the meeting room last night was all about the recent article in the Daily Pilot about the "donation/consulting fee" paid to Gary Monahan by businessman Surat Singh. I don't know how this issue is going to shake out, but it seems to me that it is easily resolved - just give us a peek at the check Mr. Singh wrote to Monahan. If it was made out to Monahan's campaign, case closed. If not, then more explaining is necessary.

MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE ON NOVEMBER 4TH
That's it, my friends. Time to contemplate how you will mark your ballot. Remember, this weekend CMTV will have a forum marathon going, with the first three available for viewing. The Daily Pilot has their video interview clips available for viewing. Take some time to view these items and make an informed decision.

Well Done, Halecrest and Mesa Del Mar!

BIG SUCCESS IN HALECREST
Last night's Costa Mesa City Council Candidate Forum hosted by the Halecrest Community Association and the Mesa Del Mar Homeowners Association was a big success. Congratulations to the organizers for a job well done.

A GOOD TURNOUT, INCLUDING MR. U. KNOW-WHO - BRIEFLY
Held in an un-air conditioned room - with lots of open doors and fans - it got off to a slightly delayed start, but moved briskly thereafter. The venue was just right for the crowd - probably around 80 residents showed up for this event, including one old grouch from Mesa North who made what he must have felt was an obligatory appearance, then skulked away at least an hour before the event ended. Perhaps sitting on the far LEFT side of the room gave him vertigo - who knows?



BEVER A NO-SHOW - NOBODY CARED
Eight of the nine candidates made it to this event. Mayor Eric Bever failed to show, which is getting to be a habit with him these days. You'll recall that he didn't show up for the Daily Pilot interviews recently, either. I'm thinking he may have finally run out of jokes or "clever" quips, so felt that he would be making an appearance "unarmed" - like a gunfighter without his pistols. Or, perhaps, his unwarranted arrogance just got the better of him and he didn't feel it was necessary to make another appearance before the voters of this city. He wasn't missed.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS AND ENOUGH TIME TO ANSWER
Each candidate was given two minutes to introduce themselves - that worked out just fine. Having been to most of these events, I heard nothing new, but many of the attendees were first-timers. From that point on the hosts asked questions that were important to them and their communities, ranging from their approach to balancing the city budget; alleviating speeders in neighborhoods; the vacant property where Kona Lanes once stood; high density apartments in Mesa Del Mar; Banning Ranch and Undergrounding utilities. They each had two minutes to wrap up at the end.

FIREWORKS - THE QUESTION
Along the way Bill Sneen cleverly managed to slide the subject of Fireworks into the discussion, to which several of the candidates chimed in during responses to other questions. Suffice it to say that Daily Pilot columnist Steve Smith, who was sitting directly behind me, and I were the only two people in the room who have taken the position that neighborhood fireworks are a bad idea. We both slid down in our respective chairs as the discussion went on, and on, and on...

GENERALLY CIVIL PROCEEDINGS
The proceedings were quite civil - more so than in previous forums. Bill Sneen came armed with a few big expensive fliers for Righeimer, Monahan and Bever and commented on them in contrast to his campaign. Monahan took a couple mild backhand swipes at Katrina Foley again, but generally it was a pretty darn civilized exchange of views all evening.

REEDY REVVING UP
Lisa Reedy, on her home turf and before a home crowd, took a much more affirmative and active role in the discussions tonight. I found myself wishing she had launched her campaign more aggressively earlier.

UNDERGROUNDING UTILITIES BURIED
I thought it was interesting that, during the discussion of Undergrounding the utilities, all the candidates thought it was a good idea, but too expensive, yet none of them put forward what that cost would be. I expected Foley or Monahan - or both - to tell the assembled crowd that Allan Mansoor's pipe dream of undergrounding the utilities throughout the city would cost more than $1billion and take at least a generation to complete - those were the last numbers we heard when this was being considered. Yikes! And those numbers do not take into account the cost to the individual property owners, who would have to pay to get the utilities from the curb to their homes. In my case, for example, I received a couple estimates in the $11,000 - $15,000 range. Those costs will have certainly gone up since then. That subject is dead and "buried" - sorry, couldn't resist.

BANNING RANCH - YES, AND NO
To no one's surprise, opinions varied on Banning Ranch. Chris Bunyan - who again lead the field in snappy one-liners - is leading the charge to keep Banning Ranch open space. Jim Righeimer, a developer, is more realistic - citing the fact that this is really Newport Beach's issue because the ranch property is within their sphere of influence. He pointed out that Costa Mesa must work with Newport Beach and the developer to obtain funds to mitigate the impact on our streets and other infrastructure during the process.

STRONGER CODE ENFORCEMENT
On the subject of the high density housing in the Mesa Del Mar area, there was unanimous agreement that stronger code enforcement is necessary. Several candidates thought stronger codes were necessary in addition to stronger enforcement of our existing rules. Foley and others felt that stronger positions should be taken with the property owners, including those owning the underlying property in the case of land leases. Monahan opined that eventually those units would simply just be "scraped" and new, upscale housing built in place.

BALANCING THE BUDGET - TOT OR NOT TOT
The issue of balancing the budget resulted in two sides of the issue - those who thought an increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) should have been presented to the voters this year and those who thought ANY tax increase, regardless who was being taxed, was a bad idea. Most felt some belt tightening was necessary. There was talk about using the $14 million in emergency reserves, but Foley set the record straight on that issue. The council MAY NOT use the emergency reserves except in the case of a disaster - earthquake, hurricane, etc., and then it takes a four-fifths vote of the council. Chris Bunyan once again quipped that he'd forego his council salary if elected. Monahan didn't make such an offer...

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF....
There were several amusing moments tonight. One came from Nick Moss, the youngest of all the candidates at age 28. During the ad hoc discussion of Fireworks, he talked wistfully about how much he and his neighbors enjoyed the safe and sane fireworks, he said, "We have a blast." and never batted an eye. I'm still not sure he realized the humor in his comment.

ONE MORE FORUM TO GO
So, neighbors, one more forum to be held next Tuesday, the 28th, at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, on Fairview next to the Farm Sports Complex. That event begins at 6:30 according to the revised schedule. I find myself wondering whether Bever will ignore this group, too. Is it too much to expect that the mayor actually attends these things when he's running for re-election? I don't think so. In any event, I'll remind you about that last forum as the date approaches.

BUMBLING BEVER'S BUFFOONERY
As an aside, at the end of the last council meeting on Tuesday Bever demonstrated just what a chucklehead he really is when responding to City Manager Allan Roeder on the subject of shopping in Costa Mesa. Roeder, making light of a comment made earlier by the Mesa North Mouth that folks could soon visit the new Trader Joe's in Huntington Beach, indicating that we should be shopping at our own Trader Joe's on 17th Street. Bever, in an unnecessary and flippant reply, said the one in Huntington Beach was closer and it would take too much gas and he would pollute the air too much if he drove "all the way" over to 17th Street. Yes sir, that's your mayor - advocating driving out of town to do your shopping. "Clueless" is much too kind a word for him.

ELECTION DAY COUNCIL MEETING CANCELED
By the way, during the last council meeting after about five minutes of discussion the council decided to simply cancel the November 4th meeting. That's election day and most of them will be preoccupied one way or the other. The next scheduled City Council meeting will be on November 18th.

Watching Noses Grow

DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!
Over at Hypocrite Central - the CM Press - the author of that blog posted an entry today that made me laugh out loud. The poor deluded guy used an image to illustrate the point of his commentary which shows the cover of a publication entitled, "The Rise Of Political Lying", which includes a cover image of a speaker with a long nose, ala Pinocchio. What a joke!

LIAR, LIAR...
This guy - in almost every post he publishes - fabricates, obfuscates and twists issues and events to meet his insidious objective of "purifying" our society. The thread of "if it ain't white, it ain't right" runs throughout his work and guides his actions, much to the detriment of the residents of this city.

BUSINESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONS?
Tonight, at the Costa Mesa City Hall, all nine candidates for the three seats available this year will field questions posed by representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Daily Pilot - our local newspaper of record for nearly a century. I have no idea the nature of those questions, but I suspect they may have much to do with business in our city and, perhaps, crime and other quality of life issues.

MR. U. KNOW-WHO LURKS
Certainly, the author of the CM Press - a man who refers to himself as "Mr. U. Know-Who" - will likely present himself as an observer, wearing his usual Gestapoesque black outfit and perch in "his" seat in the dimly-lit far, far right rear corner of the auditorium - how poetically perfect!

KEEPING HIS CREW IN LINE
I suspect he wants to keep an eye on his chosen troika of Righeimer, Bever and Monahan, just in case they might stray from the party line. I'm sure he will want to be there to cheer them on as they attack Katrina Foley, as he has done almost without letup since her election to the City Council four years ago.

FEARLESS FOLEY
It's easy to speculate about what his problem is when it comes to Foley. She's clearly the smartest member of our current City Council and, although in the minority, doesn't hesitate to speak her view on every important issue. Even more important, she doesn't buy into Mr. U. Know-Who's mantra of manipulation unlike other members of the council. She's not willing to just stand idly by as the current majority attempts to turn our city into one in which children, seniors and ethnic minorities receive short shrift.

A RACIST AND A SEXIST, TOO?
I used to think Mr. U. Know-Who was just a racist - if it's possible to be JUST a racist - but I suspect he may be a sexist, too. He sure does seem to have trouble with women who are willing to take a stand on issues and present their views for the residents to consider. And, of course, he openly supports a small segment of our society where women are relegated into subservient roles.

LOOK FOR GRUMPY GUY
If you attend the meeting tonight, look for Mr. U. Know-Who... he's be the scowling presence lurking in the shadows in the back corner of the room.

WATCH ON TV IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND
If you can't attend, the proceedings will be televised live on Channel 24, CMTV and will be shown later on tape several times before the election.

Another New Player In Town

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!
While culling through my Google alert referrals this evening I stumbled upon an entry of yet another brand new blog here in Costa Mesa. This thing is entitled "CM OPEN" - you know, like a golf tournament.

DEFENDING MR. U. KNOW-WHO
I clicked on the link, HERE, and found myself staring at two entries - one published September 5th, whining about an old entry on the CM Truth blog. The second, published a couple days ago, was addressed to me, specifically.

WRITING TO FEEL IMPORTANT
Now, I like to get letters, but would never have discovered this one because I didn't know this blog existed. I guess the author(s) of this new one didn't really want me to read it - they just wanted to write it to make themselves feel important. If they wanted me to read it they could have sent me an email or posted it as a comment right here - or simply let me know that they had a message for me on this new blog. But, nope - they just prattled on and on with absolutely no expectation that I would ever read it.

WILL THEY POST MY COMMENT?
I posted a comment on this new blog, not really expecting that it will be published. At least the author(s) provided the ability to comment, unlike the guy they are trying to defend. He doesn't care what others think about what he writes - there's no debate. Here's what I posted on it this evening:

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise! Yet another defender of the author of the CM Press. Or, since there is no identification of the author, perhaps it IS the author of the CM Press! Is that you, Marty? Or maybe a member of your family?

I'll submit this comment, but don't really expect it to be published. Even though you provide a way to do it, I suspect you'll "moderate" it and it won't appear. I've never called his entire family a "den of snakes" - I've never met any of them. Your attempt to paint me as a bully is more than amusing, particularly in light of the fact that your idol, the author of the CM Press, is precisely that. I don't have a gang of any kind, oh anonymous one, much less "name calling bigots". I don't tell anyone else what to write or say. If you're referring to a couple other local blogs which are rightfully critical of the CM Press you're on the wrong track... I don't know those people... yet. I do, in fact, speak my mind when I oppose his position on issues.

You'll have to speak to him about taking things to a personal level, with Katrina Foley, for example. Or any other person who has spoken out in opposition to his warped views. My advice to others who might be critical of him to do so anonymously is sound advice, particularly since he seems determined to stalk and intimidate those who disagree with him.

Incidentally, I just stumbled across this feeble attempt at blogging this evening. I'd never have know you exist except for some unfortunate luck. I find the title of your blog curious.... CM OPEN... open to what? Open mind? I don't think so. Open mouth? Maybe. You imply that more than one of you are authoring this thing... how many does it take?

By the way, folks (assuming there are more than one of you) you're falling behind in your viewing of the CM Truth blog... there's a new "Mike Diamond" video clip that I know you'll love just waiting for you to view. And, I hope you're following the exploits of the newest blogger, CMunimPRESSed. The author of that one should really make you happy. I know I get a smile on my face whenever I read a new entry over there. If you don't have the link, just visit my blog. Welcome to the blogosphere. I hope your juvenile, pathetic posts improve... perhaps your idol can offer some hints..."

DON'T KNOW AND DON'T CARE
I have no clue about the identity(s) of the author(s) of this new blog. And, unlike the guy at the CM Press, I'm not going to attempt to find out who they are, where they live or where they work so I can attempt to intimidate them. They are entitled to their own little bit of the blogosphere. I do find it amusing that someone finds it necessary to leap to the defense of the guy at the CM Press. I can only assume that, whomever they are, they share the same views and values as their idol. That's a very sad commentary, in my view.

NO LINK HERE
No, I'm not going to post a link to it, as I do not link to the CM Press, either. If you want to read it in the future you're just going to have to bookmark it yourself.

CM PRESS ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE
So, in the heat of our local political campaign, the beat goes on. Certainly, we can expect the author of the CM Press to continue his attacks on any candidate he thinks poses a threat to his chosen troika. He will undoubtedly make the denigration of Katrina Foley a constant drum beat for the next 5 weeks, and also snipe at other candidates he thinks might be able to siphon off enough votes to spoil his plan for complete domination of the Costa Mesa City Council.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WRITE
So, we will continue to read his rants and comment when we feel it is appropriate. If this new group doesn't like it - too bad. I expect they, too, will continue to write to defend him... Bring it on!

Fighting Racism In Costa Mesa

SPARING WITH MR. U. KNOW-WHO
Those who have been paying attention for the past few years know that the author of the CM Press and I have gone round and round - even before I started my blog and before he converted his "little newsletter" into one.

THE ODD COUPLE
Our views differ on most issues - so much so that the editors of the Daily Pilot used to get their jollies by publishing our contributions on the same page. It was great fun, particularly since I knew he - a self-proclaimed member of Mensa - considered me far from his equal as a writer and way below his level intellectually. How do I know this? Well, he's said it many times over the years.

JOUSTING WITH THE JERK
For a long time I considered our little jousts kind of playful jabs in the arm - kind of like junior high school. I'm quite sure he never considered our interactions "playful". In fact, I'm not sure that word is in his lexicon.



THE TONE HAS CHANGED
In recent years, particularly since the evolution of our respective blogs and that of the Daily Pilot, where comments may be posted by interested readers, our interaction has gone from playful to serious to down-right scary. The guy at the CM Press, has named himself Mr. U. Know-Who. I've used several names for him - Your Neighbor and The Mouth From Mesa North, for example. He, in turn, has named me Lonely Old Man and, most recently, two-legged maggot. Lately he seems to have gotten frustrated and a whole lot angrier and vicious. Perhaps it's because he can no longer unleash his tirades, fabrications and out-right lies with impunity. We here at the old cauldron watch and speak out when we see him attempt to obfuscate and manipulate.

PETULANT POUTING PREVAILS
Since the Daily Pilot editors decided to require registration for those of us who post comments Mr. U. Know-Who has gone into a sulk. He used to use several fictitious anonymous names to post comments on the same thread, making it look as though his ideas had wide acceptance. Once registration was required he just slithered back into his hole in Mesa North and pouted - poor baby.

"TRUTH" SHALL BE HEARD
Then, of course, there is the arrival of blogger CM Truth, a link to which can be found on this page. This person, who chooses to remain anonymous, has also taken on the CM Press and publishes real facts on the subjects of gangs and graffiti to refute the fabrications published with such gusto on the CM Press. This only adds to his frustration, which is evident in the things he writes. He's REALLY going to love the fact that CM Truth will soon also be published in Spanish!

NEW BLOG - MORE FUN
Now, most recently, there is another new blog in our area which is aimed directly at the blow hard at the CM Press. This new blog, CMunimPRESSed (love the play on the name) seems determined to poke the CM Press in the eye with a stick. And, of course, the Mr. U. Know-Who is livid. There's a link to CMunimPRESSed over on the right.

RETALIATION?
If recent events are any indication, I guess it might not be a good idea to provoke this guy. There is a person who signs his Daily Pilot blog comments as "BKrochman" and recently has aimed some of his comments directly at the author of the CM Press by name. That REALLY ticked him off - so much so that he's begun stalking BKrochman, trying to find out where he works, which organizations he's affiliated with and, apparently, where he lives.

FAMILIAR HARASSMENT
If this kind of intimidation sounds a little familiar to you, it should. Some will recall that almost a year ago I announced that I was backing off any interaction with or about Mr. U. Know-Who because of not very veiled threats he made against me and my family. Calls to the police department were made to document that situation.

A CHANGE OF HEART
Later, I reneged on my plan and began commenting on him again. That lasted a few months before, once again, there was a good reason to withdraw. It was my intention to never comment about him again. Things change...

ATTACKING NEW CANDIDATES
The current City Council campaign has provided him with a new "playground" in which he mercilessly attacks and belittles candidates that do not fit his idea of the perfect person to hold a seat on the dais. He supports three candidates who, I guess, he feels he can exercise influence over as he's done in the past beginning with the chronically inept Chris Steel and proceeding on to Allan Mansoor, Eric Bever and Wendy Leece.

INTIMIDATION CONTINUES
Too much is at stake to let recent late night telephone calls intimidate me into ignoring his malicious lies and half-truths. I cannot simply stand by without commenting while he maligns the Costa Mesa Police Department for what he apparently perceives their half-hearted efforts regarding illegal aliens.

EXPUNGING BROWN SKINS
Over the years I've chronicled what I believed was a systematic campaign to expunge Costa Mesa of every person of brown skin. I've mentioned many times the many events perpetrated by Mr. U. Know-Who toward that end. Almost everything he proposes has an element included to make the Latinos among us uneasy or flat-out frightened. About the only thing he has not yet successfully pulled off is the closure of the Orange Coast College Swap Meet - a venue for low-end commerce and social interaction by many of our Latino neighbors - but he came close. He and Mansoor tried to use the specter of the invading masses from Santa Ana and the impact on our streets to have it shuttered. What a crock! Fortunately, much wiser heads prevailed - for the time being.

FANNING THE FLAMES OF INTOLERANCE
Mr. U. Know-Who has managed to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment to a fever pitch in this town. The foundation of his hatred for anyone not white is obvious is your read his essays published widely on radical right-wing web sites such as the New Nation and others.


A MESSAGE FOR "THE MOUTH"
So, I guess the message this evening is directed squarely at that racist at the CM Press. Mr. U. Know-Who, if you don't like the notoriety you're getting, that's just too bad. You can't have it both ways. Even though you don't permit comments on your blog, you can't expect to stand before the council and pontificate and wave your three pathetic books around without receiving criticism.

BLOGGERS SHOULD PROTECT THEIR IDENTITIES
Mr. U. Know-Who, I suggest to my fellow bloggers mentioned above that they retain their anonymity, because it's clear that once you know the identity of your critics you go after them with a vengeance. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you would attempt to physically harm them or their families, but threats come in many forms. Why else would you be tracking down a resident like some hungry predator? I also suggest that they continue to point out your many faults and the falsehoods you attempt to foist off on the populace to give interested readers the truth - an alternative to your bigoted spin. As they say in junior high school, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!"