Badlands Journal

 When Californians tear themselves away from the spectacle of national moral disgrace at home and abroad, politically, economically and environmentally,  we face a gauntlet of propositions on our ballots. We've gathered some information from the press that we hope will be useful to you.

-- blj

10-25-16

Badlands Journal editorial board has come to its position about the proposed changes in the distribution of surface and groundwater in the Delta and San Joaquin Valley.

The new appropriation of river water and regulation on pumping groundwater comes down to a battle between the California executive resource agencies and the money, influence and lawyers a half a dozen northeast valley irrigation districts can muster to defeat it. In other words, lobbyists vs. the bureaucracy, with a supporting chorus of county officials, local newspapers, farm bureaus, etc.

 Friends of the Badlands editorial board sent us this letter that a group of neighbors wrote to Merced City Councilman Michael Murphy, who made a campaign visit to a house party on their block this weekend.

Murphy is running for mayor.

He graciously received the letter, read most of it and told its bearer that he agreed with several of the issues the letter raises. He appeared open to hearing about the problems of that neighborhood which, we imagine, are not so different from a number of neighborhoods in town.

The neighbors were impressed with him and he may have changed a few votes on the block in his favor. -- blj

 Bob Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday for his incredible body of work. The Swedish Academy's permanent secretary compared Dylan with Homer and Sappho.

Everybody has their favorites. We especially liked these.

Thanks, and congratulations, Bob -- blj

Dilip Hiro's "Unipolar No more" addresses the last 15 years of world history, in which our government, playing the role of world cop, squandered in warfare the moral and material power it had gained by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the 9/11 attack. China, Russia and India have not confronted the US on the battlefield but are defeating us economically while our imperial adventure wastes rather than gains resources, specifically oil, which responsible science warns should stay in the ground anyway. Our wars have cost us world political leadership, trillions of dollars, killed, maimed or psychologically destroyed part of a generation of youth, and generally made all of us poorer and afraid of the world and of ourselves. While our government exhausts us in a pointless religious fundamentalist crusade against Islam that, in 15 years of conflict, appears to have no excuse beyond protecting one small, belligerent theocracy, other large nations run by more intelligent leaders join forces for economic development and mutual defense against our perpetual war machine.

On Monday evening, the Merced City Council deafened its audience with silence after mayoral candidate Necola Adams, an African-American, finished denouncing the escalating racial violence against her campaign.

Before Adams spoke, staff had reminded the councilmen that "they could not speak freely on any item not on the agenda." This is the sort of advice from staff, however, that councilmen ignore whenever it suits them.

After Adams finished, it suited them to say nothing until staff interrupted it to announce the consent agenda.

 It must jar readers of Badlandsjournal.com to find articles on the Middle East when they have come to the site for current information on environmental things in the California Central Valley. Our reply is that US foreign policy affects us here, too, and perhaps even more here than in other parts of California because of our economic dependence on export-led growth, the excellent welfare system for wealthy farmers, and the number of soldiers we contribute to the perpetual war for everlasting peace.

Also, we need to read critical journalism, based in the skepticism that has been journalism's best tradition, because our dominant media have abandoned a critical, skeptical stance in favor of cheerleading. We believe most people feel like round pegs being jammed into holes cut in bizarre polygons.