January 22, 2019

Liz Writes Life

Yay -- rain! It is fabulous, but would appreciate it if the temperature was just a little bit cooler so more snow could be packing into the mountains. I did read where the Sierra mountain range should get hammered with up to 10 feet of snow from this latest storm. That is truly good news for the rest of the state. Sorry, if it sounded like I was complaining!

The indoor tulip bulbs have grown – two inches this week. Seemed like they really took-off on Friday and Saturday. Guess their root systems finally started doing the job. I didn’t get the manure on the rhubarb. Darn. Maybe this coming week. Oh, procrastination!

POW

Scott Valley Protect Our Water took a few months off from holding meetings. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m. So, there is no POW meeting this month.

2^nd Amendment

I heard the fundraiser for the 2^nd Amendment lawsuit was a great success on Jan. 12^th, so I called Mark Baird to get the skinny on it. He said that every seat in the Miner’s Inn Convention Center was filled. Dave and Kathy Tyler’s dinner with prime rib received raves and the generosity during the auction was incredible.

The auction included a beautiful Betsy Ross-type of quilt, a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, painting of George Washington praying, a Henry lever-action 45-70 rifle with engraved stock, along with a dozen other guns, sculptures and many other items. Bills are still coming in, so Mark doesn’t have a tally on the net proceeds yet.

But, he said there is enough to get the New York lawyer writing the complaint that he believes will restore the 2^nd Amendment to California by using the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals decision regarding Young v Hawaii. That ruling states “open carry” is the core right guaranteed the people under the Second Amendment and that right extends outside the home to public spaces.

I wondered when we lost the open carry right and Mark said it was back in 1967, when the Mulford Act repealed a law allowing public carrying of loaded firearms. It was signed by Gov. Ronald Reagan. But, it must be said that the state government was reacting to the Black Panther Party, who was conducting armed patrols of Oakland neighborhoods in opposition to police. This was later termed “copwatching” and brought unease to residents. I remember those days.

Just goes to show how a law that seems like a good idea at the time ends-up affecting everyone and isn’t so good.

Then in 2012, the California State Legislature voted to take a tougher stand against the carrying of any firearms in public, even those that are not loaded. And under California Penal Code 26350 PC, it is a now a crime. This does not affect the California Concealed Weapon Permit, which is a permit – not a right. I haven’t talked with any local farmers, ranchers or hunters, but I believe this law has made it difficult to carry a gun in your vehicle and adds to confusion.
Mark’s goal is to restore the 2^nd Amendment right to open carry and will file the complaint in the federal Eastern District California Court. To those who are skeptical, Mark cites the Chambers v U.S. decision that stated all 9^th Circuit opinions are binding on all judges in the circuit.

To learn more from Mark, attend the Yreka Tea Party Patriots meeting tonight at the Convent Chapel Church at 200 Greenhorn Rd. in Yreka at 6:30 p.m. Ray Haupt, Siskiyou Co. Dist. 5 Supervisor, will also speak on the status of growing hemp in the county. There is a short-term moratorium, while the supervisors and Siskiyou Co. Ag. Commissioner, Jim Smith, hammer-out the details.

Richard Marshall, president of the Siskiyou Water Users Assoc., will speak to the newest situation from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, which announced continued support of removal of four hydro-electric dams from the Klamath River in its draft Environmental Impact Report on Dec. 27, 2018.

Remember that the Water Quality Control Board does not have the authority to take out the dams. Yes, it can claim it the best environmental alternative, but that doesn’t mean the dams are coming out. In my estimation, this is just more propaganda.

Last month, Supervisor Haupt reminded us that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not yet accepted Klamath River Renewal Corp’s definite plan to obtain the Klamath dams’ hydro-electric license; and then remove the dams. So, the Water Quality Control Board’s draft Environmental Impact Report is putting the cart before the horse. I am sure the county will be responding to Water Board’s report.

Frustration

Our Dist. 1 Congressman, Doug LaMalfa, sent out a statement this weekend regarding $12.1 billion in disaster funding that was targeted to help residents devastated by wildfires and hurricanes last year. Democrats amended the bill the night before the vote to include a continuing resolution to fund the government until Feb. 8, 2019, but did not include any funds for improved border security.

LaMalfa said: “This critical disaster funding bill has been in the works for weeks, and now Democrats have pulled a bait and switch and completely derailed it at the last minute. The Senate has made it clear they won’t consider a funding bill that lacks border security and the President has said he wouldn’t sign it. This was not a good faith attempt to re-open the government, nor was it a serious attempt at providing much-needed disaster funding to those who desperately need it. The people of Northern California that were affected by the Carr Fire and Camp Fire can’t afford these political games – a standalone disaster funding bill would’ve passed both chambers easily. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi is more concerned with obstructing the President than helping people recover from wildfires and securing our border.”

Yep, this stalemate is pretty frustrating and the lack of Democrat leaders willing to work on real-life compromises is just wrong. I know political parties do not like each other, but this is not putting our county and its people – first!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at: LizWritesLife.blogspot.com. # # #