ON MANY ISSUES, I’M PRETTY FAR to the left of the current iteration of the Democratic Party. But I’m really more a “just society economic populist” than a “lefty,” per se. I’ll just mention where I stand on a couple of issues, and why. Immigration I’m for deregulating the border — no more fences, certainly […]
Notes from 30,000 Feet: Going green in a green state
By Dennis Lund THE CITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON, always a great place to visit, offers many wonderful pleasures for the visitor and a few for the short-term business traveler. • The Benson Hotel, with its stately lobby, has hosted every president from William Taft to George W. Bush (Obama stayed there as a candidate); • […]
Matt Talbot: 9/11 and what might have been
WHEN INSOMNIA STRIKES, I sometimes go to sleep with C-SPAN on the television. I just close my eyes, half-listen to a litany of politicians making long, arcane speeches on the floor of the U.S. Congress and wait for insomnia’s spirit to break. I sometimes forget to set the “sleep” function on the TV, so it […]
Opinion: The Chicken Little obsession with climate change hurts U.S. now
By Suzanne Kleiman FIRST OF ALL, CHICKEN LITTLE, the sky is not falling. But the Chicken Little obsession with global warming — or climate change or whatever the alarmists are calling it these days — is harming us today, and will hurt us in the future. Yes, climate change occurs every single day. No two […]
Stealing our 2nd Amendment rights, one law at a time
By Dennis Lowry CALIFORNIA LEGISLATORS ON THE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE are not working in any law-abiding citizen’s best interests when it comes to gun regulation. My previous article (“Open letter to the Legislature: Don’t pass draconian gun laws,” Aug. 30) listed the most recent bills being considered for that day. The reality is that there […]
What Benicia deserves to know about the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project
By Steve Young ON THURSDAY NIGHT, AFTER THE REGULAR MEETING of the Benicia Planning Commission, city staff and a consulting firm will conduct a scoping session for the Environmental Impact Report on the Valero Crude-by-Rail Project. The purpose of that meeting is to determine which environmental issues to address in the EIR. Speaking as a […]
Orinda Starlight’s ‘Bedlam’ bound for success
Theater review by Elizabeth Warnimont Special to The Herald MALCOLM COWLER HAS BEEN A PART OF Orinda Starlight Village Players for several years, appearing in more than 30 productions and more recently trying his hand as director. Cowler is a natural in the director’s chair, as evidenced by the creative and gripping “And Then There […]
Notes from 30,000 Feet: Have voter ID laws now gone too far?
By Dennis Lund TOUCHING ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS that drew my attention during recent travels: Voter ID laws have been a recurring subject in the news, with two diametrically opposed factions represented: Republicans trying to ensure election integrity with ID requirements and Democrats crying “voter suppression.” With recent events in Kansas, those favoring voter ID may […]
Jerome Page: To the rescue!
IN WHAT IS TRULY AN INSPIRED APPROACH to the subject of climate and its varied manifestations, an educational approach has appeared on the American scene that promises to prepare the young for the kind of decisions that a puzzling and potentially dangerous future will require. In March 2012, following a path laid down by Louisiana, […]
Matt Talbot: A small town
Who knows how long this will last Now we’ve come so far, so fast But somewhere back there in the dust That same small town in each of us — Don Henley and Bruce Hornsby, “The End of the Innocence” BENICIA IS THAT SMALL TOWN TO ME, and always will be. There is no other place […]