In this week's North Coast Journal: (Online flip version for now) ◼ Click here ...Grant Scott-Goforth interviews Maggie, for Greenson it's Gallegos on Prop 47.
You'll get some idea of what we're up against.
Here's the 'regular' online version:
◼ Catch and Release - Thaddeus Greenson/The Journal Jan 8, 2015 vol XXVI issue 2
◼ Maggie's Method - Grant Scott-Goforth/The Journal
After living in office limbo for several weeks, Maggie Fleming took over the District Attorney's office at the beginning of the year. Fleming spent much of the last year planning ways to improve the office. On Jan. 2, she sat down with the Journal to discuss some of her ideas and the immediate actions she'll be taking to work with her 10-attorney staff....
Great article Rose. I suggest you read it. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with Paul's assessment and agree with this commenter
"Finally, after many decades, California begins to catch up to the rest of the industrialized world in properly treating addiction as an illness. (Another reason Gallegos would have been reelected in a heartbeat)"
...Unless DA Fleming ran against him, which I don't think would have happened.
But here is the questions I think conservatives should ponder.
We all agree that we want to minimize spending on prisoners - how do we get there?
We already have an outrageously high prison population. Do we really want to expand this further - in the land of freedom? When will we begin to understand that maybe our system isn't that great for freedom for all?
Can we agree that spending money, even on those we might not invite to a party, is important for society as a whole?
Shouldn't we think about the consequences of not spending money on prevention - ie humane mental illness institutions, addiction treatment, etc. The article points out that we will be lowering the prison population but not increasing the social safety net to address the very real needs.
Or, we can continue to tell people "Bootstraps, or jail buddy. Get with the program. On $9 an hour. Talk to the hand, the game is beginning."
And John, it's admirable to preach belief in a higher being to those who will make him (usually) a part of their recovery. But that alone will not be enough.
Liberal Jon, where in this article am I mentioned? Yet, you use it as an opportunity to comment on an unrelated issue.
DeleteBelief in a higher power has caused more people to examine and change their life around then therapy and enabling criminal behavior.
At least I am open to being fair and changing my mind if the situation warrants. I did a positive post on EPIC. I have been very fair to the two new Eureka Council members.
You continue to bash me, Virginia, Rose for simply daring not to think like you.
Those on the left like you that constantly put down others and the same anon trolls on this blog and mine and others on the blog sphere are the perfect example of selfish losers who talk, do nothing and attack those who do.
Paul is a disaster who is finally gone. Thad will never do an article that is not pro Paul.
All you do is blame the rich, the government. It is never the loser who refuses help, chooses drugs, chooses to hurt others and breaks the law over and over.
I think John woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning
DeleteAnd why, LiberalJon, should CONSERVATIVES ponder these things? Are you nuts? You sure do love to separate people into little boxes.
Delete7:04 I think you wake up every morning obsessed with how you can comment about John.
DeleteCreepy.
Separate people into little boxes? Kinda of like this blog post from Rosemarie?
Deletehttp://www.hrwf-ca.org/2015/01/liberal-dirty-secrets-you-wont-believe.html
It's not boxes Rose, it's sides of the chasm. And conservatives (with many enabling Democrats) are championing liberty and freedom all the while building the world's greatest prison system.
ReplyDeleteWhat we have to do is understand that focusing on whether rohypnol should be a misdemeanor or a felony is akin to trying to work on a funnel simultaneously pouring an overflowing amount of liquid. What we need to do is look at root causes which, as the right knows, IS methamphetamines, IS alcoholism, IS addiction and probably IS Weed too. What we have forgotten - or - have to learn is how to grapple with the special needs of mental illness too.
Outside of mental illness, most of these problems are also very likely a result of our increased inequality. People may have a little more hope, if there is a little more hope. The way that could happen is by bringing back that country where all of us truly share equality of opportunity.
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John: "Belief in a higher power has caused more people to examine and change their life around then therapy and enabling criminal behavior." Maybe? Probably? But that alone cannot be the answer - not in a secular society.
John, it doesn't make me feel any better, it fact it makes me feel worse to call a criminal a loser. He is a criminal and should be given a sentence fitting of his crime. (usually "he/his") Done. Boring. No blog needed. No need for "Cops- Bad Boys -Infotainment"
When they've done their time, I think it's time to say, welcome back, you are a free man, here are your options...this is what we can do to keep you on the right track. I don't want to use our peace officers or our jail as the last-ditch safety net as it is currently. To change this, we will need to go beyond pointing to folks and calling them losers. What the DA and LEO do by capturing, prosecuting, sentencing and holding is infinately more important than whether I join the crowd at the pillory pointing and yelling "loser" while sipping from my latte.
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ReplyDeleteJohn, one last thing...
I would kindly ask for one moment that you observe this difference.
This is what I wrote...
"And John, it's admirable to preach belief in a higher being to those who will make him (usually) a part of their recovery. But that alone will not be enough."
This is what I got back...
"At least I am open to being fair and changing my mind if the situation warrants." Implication being of course that I or liberals generally are not. That seems odd and unfair to suggest.
"You continue to bash me, Virginia, Rose for simply daring not to think like you." Really? Where? When I said I admire you for believing in a higher being?
"Those on the left like you that constantly put down others" Again, huh? Constantly? Can you cite one example?
"selfish losers" or "Paul is a disaster" doesn't count. Just b/c it's in the same thread as something I wrote doesn't mean I wrote it.
"All you do is blame the rich, the government."??? This makes no sense, obviously you don't actually read or don't choose to process what I try to write. I don't blame you, there is alot there and I don't write so good, but still it's obvious that what I'm saying isn't sinking in. I'll take the responsibility, pull up my bootstraps, and redouble my efforts!
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What I do, John, is try to separate people and policy. Sometimes this is difficult when I disagree passionately with people's policies and, yes, Supervisor Bass is one I disagree with. One of my strongest disagreements with Virginia is she was trying to support conservatives candidates and causes like Mike Newman, Chet Albin and property-rights focused GPUs while pretending to have more Democratic values than Republican. That is no longer an issue thanks to 2014.
I'm proud of whatever negligible or significant part I played in allowing Virginia to vociferously support Mike and Chet in November - as it should have been. And I'm also proud I did this while doing everything I can to keep the conversation as productive and positive as possible - given - and this is important - that we disagree.