When I first heard that popular, termed-out, Costa Mesa Republican councilwoman Wendy Leece was planning to take on entrenched, deeply embarrassing 12-term Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, I thought, “Well, we Democrats haven’t managed to take him out in 24 years, why not let a nice reasonable Republican try?”
Dr. Savary
Of course there IS going to be a Democrat in the race as well – Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club chair Dr. Sue Savary – so far be it from me to choose one over the other outside of the privacy of the ballot box. But bear in mind that it IS still a heavily Republican district, and trading in old Dana for Wendy would be a huge load of shame off our backs. May the best lady take #2 in June, and then let’s ALL unite behind whichever one that is, Dems, independents, and Republicans with consciences!
As Moxley will never tire of reminding you, Dana rode in on a Republican wave in 1988, having written a few minor speeches for outgoing President Reagan, and promising notoriously to serve no more than three terms. Lazily sticking out his sweaty palm now for a thirteenth term, he is our County’s longest “serving” career politician, and a boisterous novelty act to the rest of the nation world.
Speaking personally, he’s been my Congressman since 97, and I started trying hard to get rid of him in 2002 when he was one of the loudest and most ridiculous cheerleaders for Bush II’s invasion of Iraq, responding to my reasoned letters with neo-con bullshit and platitudes. You know, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Freedom, 9-11, all that. I remember him clearly raving on the floor of the House, “I know those people out there, they’re gonna THROW FLOWERS AT US!” That was a common cliche in 2002. More cringe-inducing was his appearance on Bill Maher a few years later, after 4000 dead troops and countless wounded: “I’m telling you Bill, they’re throwing flowers at us out there! The liberal media just won’t let you see it!”
So that means I tried to help Gerri Schipske beat him in 2002, and Jim Brandt in 2004 and 2006. Those were not exciting candidates. But we really thought we had the magic bullet with Debbie Cook in 2008, and I put ALL my time into trying to make that happen. No matter what though, the knuckledraggers, airheads, and walking senile dead of HB and Costa Mesa pull the lever for the guy with the R, the name they know, the one who talks shit on immigrants, taxes, and global warming. After 2008 I gave up, it was too depressing – it’s enough to make you despair over your friends and neighbors, and democracy in general. Rohrabacher is like a stinky armchair in the corner that you just avoid.
But, who knows? Maybe Wendy could be the charm. Hey. Why is she running against a fellow Republican anyway?
Wendy Leece and the OC GOP
First, let’s talk about how this quite conservative Councilwoman came to be at odds with the OC GOP leadership and insiders, because that is connected to this, and it happened in late 2010, and I watched it closely and catalogued it.
Righeimer
Oh but before that I want to give her credit for all the work she did keeping our Fairgrounds from being sold to profiteers – she and her Democratic colleague on council, Katrina Foley, went back and forth to Sacramento several times to lobby against the sale, while her Republican colleagues seemed more compromised and following secret instructions, oscillating between protecting the public property and sudden loyalty to privateers like Facilities Management West. And Jim Righeimer, not yet on council, was pursuing some kind of Orwellian game with his “Save the Fair” movement which agitated for sale of the public property to a “nonprofit.” Wendy and Katrina seemed like the most honest players of the Costa Mesa politicians at that time, which I only mention because it seems like she was already not getting the OC GOP memos that the other Republicans were getting. And I also want her to get credit for all the work she did to ACTUALLY save our Fairgrounds.
Throughout the same period she and Councilman Gary Monahan were in charge of negotiations with both the police and fire associations of the city, a process that went on for half a year and in which both groups made major concessions to save the cash-strapped city money. Not to bog you down in boring details, which we COULD get into in the comments section, but Wendy’s and Gary’s negotiations managed to save the city well over a million dollars. Which was still not enough for council candidate and hardcore labor basher Righeimer, and his doppelganger OC GOP chairman Scott Baugh, who was on the verge of a new anti-labor crusade.
Baugh, the newly-christened bane of labor.
And as the final vote on these two major labor agreements approached, so did the 2010 elections, and the necessity for Wendy (pursuing re-election) to get the OC GOP endorsement. Chairman Baugh’s condition was that Wendy pledge to support “pension reform,” and she agreed. Problem is, Baugh and Leece had two different ideas of what the phrase “pension reform” meant. To Wendy, the agreement she had worked so hard on, with the harsh givebacks from the “unions” and the $ million-plus savings – THAT was pension reform. When Baugh said “pension reform” what he meant was saying NO to the whole long process they’d just been through, and starting again from scratch with Righeimer on the council, to make Costa Mesa a petri dish for mass layoffs, outsourcing of city jobs, and doomed, costly lawsuits to defend those draconian moves. But to Wendy’s mind, killing the deal after all the work they’d put into it and everything labor had given up, would have been unconscionable bad faith. When Leece voted (with Foley and Monahan) to approve the deal, she suddenly became the OC GOP’s enemy #1, and Baugh instructed (too late) Republicans not to vote for her.
Another thing she agreed to to get the OC GOP endorsement was not to accept any money from unions or associations like Costa Mesa’s fire and police. And she didn’t. But when these associations saw her being crucified by the anti-labor forces, they did give her a lot of support, independently, at the last minute – something she couldn’t help, but was also held responsible for.
I’ve noticed different people mean different things when they say “conservative” or “moderate” or “right-wing.” A lot of Democrats are afraid to support Wendy because they “hear she’s really right-wing” – probably a relic of the Allan Mansoor days when she voted in lockstep with him and Eric Bever. Since 2010, rightwing Republicans call her a “RINO” as she is insufficiently hostile to public employees. I would call her a conservative who lives in the real world and cares about people; also, like Tom Tait, a sincere Christian whose religion causes her to empathize a little more than we’re used to seeing on the right.
But it was interesting to see the changes in Wendy, as she was attacked ruthlessly by the Party that had always been her home – attacked for doing what she was sure was the right thing. It caused her to start questioning other Republican truisms. She told me once around that time, I hope I’m remembering right, “My loyalty is to my God and the Constitution, not to my Party.” She also has come to the conclusion that her Party is very unfair to women in general. But she’s not leaving the Republican Party, because she still believes in what she considers its founding principles, and feels she can make it better.
Wendy’s reasons for running
Classic pic of Dana from the Weekly. Absolutely captures the gravity of the man.
So, it’s a pretty impressive thing to see a woman of Wendy’s age (65 now) start questioning so many of her old certainties, and now to go against an established relic of her Party. Dana IS part of the inner Baugh-Righeimer-Bucher circle that declared Wendy persona non grata. But it’s not just personal. When you ask her the defining moment that made her dream of supplanting this dinosaur in Congress, the first thing she brings up is the Government Shutdown. (WHICH ONE? Doesn’t matter. I’ve lost count, haven’t you?)
The Government Shutdown which rightwingers like Dana are actually proud of, and which comes from them just saying no to anything the Democrats want to do, and refusing to work together or compromise. What Wendy sees in Washington reminds her of what she’s seen in her own town over the last 4-5 years – Republicans who just really don’t care to sit down with the other side and make government work for the people. And that’s what she wants to do if she can get to Washington.
She’ll go on about how useless Dana has been and she’s absolutely right – 24 years in his seat and has never led any major committee or passed any serious legislation. He refuses to “roll up his sleeves” and get anything done; he is “not representing us.”
Wendy also feels entitled to boast – after this last term of hers – of her independence; that she “doesn’t let anyone tell her how to vote,” but follows her own logic, research and conscience. Just as she has refused to let Baugh and Righeimer pull her strings in Costa Mesa, so will Boehner or the Tea Party or whoever is calling the shots in the Republican House fail to control Wendy Leece!
Sounds good so far…
Second from left, with grandma Leece and three Leecelets! (aka daughters.)
Wendy wants me to tell you that she’s been a widow for 14 years, has brought up five kids mostly by herself, and knows how to budget! One thing she’s been working on for a decade now, that she is most proud of, is building up non-profit after school programs in her town – including programs like “Think Together,” MIKA and SOY.
She’s also proud of spending a lot of her spare time the last few years teaching (mostly Latino teenagers) at juvenile hall. “Homies have my back!” she jokingly texted me, recently. “You want me to print that?” “Sure!” This seems in striking contrast to the anti-immigrant reputation she still carries from when she mostly voted with Mansoor… but she says that was ONLY about keeping dangerous CRIMINALS out of the country, not an anti-immigrant or anti-Mexican thing at all.
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Rohrabacher playing Warrior.
One thing that has always disgusted a lot of us about Dana Rohrabacher has been his frequent eagerness to send our young men and women out to die on the battlefield for foolish causes or none … especially bearing in mind that when he was called on to serve in Vietnam, he had a BAD HIP (although he still managed to surf regularly.) This is popularly known as being a chickenhawk, and he manages it quite obnoxiously, frequently talking about himself as some kind of brave warrior for freedom.
On top of that, he’s always meddling in foreign affairs, conducting what I’ve called his own “rogue foreign policy.” We still don’t have a full explanation of what he was doing meeting with Mujahadeens and other Afghans right before the 9/11 attacks; and every time you turn around he’s involved in some other obscure rebellion in another part of the globe – Laotian tribesmen, was it, last? I could go on and on, but his activities are loose-cannon and frivolous, and sometimes embarrass our nation. I believe he still has a huge sign hung above his office reading “Fighting For Freedom While Having Fun!” At least he did for years.
Wendy’s Marine daughter Emily
I like the contrast with Wendy Leece. Her father was gravely wounded in World War II, and now her daughter, and son-in-law, are actually Marines. Having skin in the game tends to make one less of a thoughtless warmonger. Wendy believes, as I think most of us do by now, this late in the long bloody history of humanity, in war as only a very last resort.
Which it most certainly was not in our nation’s tragic first aggressive war, the one against Iraq in 2003-10, which Dana cheerled so long and stridently.
Other Issues we wanna know about!
How about IMMIGRATION REFORM? That’s been not only something Republicans REFUSE to get on board with (and I can see why – for the foreseeable future most Mexicans who become citizens are gonna vote Democrat!) but it’s been like Dana Rohrabacher’s most favoritest hobby-horse. We literally had drinking games when we’d listen to Dana at debates – a nice big shot EACH TIME he would blame one of our country’s problems on “THE ILLEGALS.” He could blame ANYTHING on them!
The kneejerk word on the right these days, whenever the possibility of reasonable reform with a pathway to citizenship comes up, is “AMNESTY.” Supposedly anyone who wants to fix the system is REWARDING the horrific CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR of those who came across the border to DO WORK WE NEED THEM TO DO.
Well… I could go on and on, but … where does our girl Wendy stand? She is EAGER for immigration reform. She wants a quick path to citizenship for 1) all those who have been waiting in line doing things the right way; 2) kids brought here by their parents, AKA “Dream Kids” 3) families and 4) workers … well… sounds like everybody except criminals!
Dana’s OTHER hobby horse has been pooh-poohing climate change or global warming. Along with James Inhofe, he is the Congress’ most accomplished climate change denier. His website is a treasure trove of denialist pseudo-science, as befits a man who owes his political career to the Koch family. And also let me just say, while I’m thinking of it, Dana seems to surround himself with ONLY people who believe the same things as him, so when he’s confronted with the facts, his eyebrows raise themselves into little teepees of incredulity as he attempts sarcasm.
Dana’s position (and that of most deniers) seems to be
- There is no climate change or global warming.
- If there is, it’s not a problem.
- If it is a problem, then well at least it’s not caused by human activity.
- If it is caused by human activity, then there’s still nothing we can do about it.
- And if we do, it’ll be too expensive, cut into profits too much, so let’s just not.
Wendy? Well, I say if Wendy is the lady who makes it through June to REALLY take on Dana, we need to call in someone like Debbie Cook or Mark Tabbert to give her a tutorial on this vital issue. At this point she is “I have listened to both sides, they both make good points.” This is not that kind of thing.
TORTURE. Dana thinks torture is funny. Wendy agrees with Barack Obama and John McCain that our country should NEVER do it.
“SOCIAL ISSUES” Some Democrats will be loath to vote for Wendy because she is well known as a “Christian Conservative” who is “pro-life.” Well, none of us like abortion, we pro-choice folks would like to make them “safe, legal and RARE” as Clinton put it. But I ask Wendy what I always ask “pro-life” people: If you had your way, who would go to jail – doctors who perform abortions, women who get them, or both? Hemming and hawing always ensues, as it did with Wendy. She answers that she is very supportive of “crisis pregnancy centers,” adoption, and something called “Project Cuddle.” Possibly all good things as far as I know. Pushed a little further, she owns that “Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and I’m not going to try to make abortions any harder to get.” [Did I remember that right, Wendy? Get back to me if not…]
[UPDATE – Wendy writes in:
Yes, it is the law, I wouldn’t WORK to make abortions more difficult–I would make HELP more available to any woman who feels her pregnancy is a “crisis”. Yes, I believe life begins at conception.
Project Cuddle (see FB) has saved hundreds of lives of babies who would have been killed or abandoned. Many women are in a CRISIS and don’t know what to do. Adoption is an option over abortion too. If, after visiting a pregnancy center, a women decides to go ahead with an abortion, that is her choice. But many women do not have the information to make a choice they will live with for the rest of their lives.]
I tell her, SOME “social conservatives” are so extreme that they’re even against contraception. “Oh, that’s ridiculous,” she answers. “I’ve used contraception myself. And I think health plans should cover it.”
[UPDATE – Wendy clarifies:
I think health plans should cover it if the employer or insurance company agrees. Here we go with freedom of conscience. If the employer is paying, he should have the CHOICE.
Of course I had five kids and love them all so contraception didn’t work so hot for me! I am not sorry!]
That’s a relief. GAY RIGHTS and MARRIAGE EQUALITY? “My daughter has two fathers-in-law, and we all get along just fine! I have nothing against it, but I think it should be decided state by state.” [Again, do I have that right, Wendy? I’m tired, it’s after midnight.]
UPDATE – Wendy clarifies: “I do believe, as a Christian, that marriage is a religious sacrament, a promise, between a man and a woman.”
Great, that’s the standard euphemism meaning “It’s for us and not for you.” You’re not making it easy for me here, Wendy…
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Wendy needs $6000 by Friday to make it official – and she’s not taking any donations bigger than $100 because she doesn’t want to be beholden to anyone as Dana is to energy billionaires the Koch Brothers, whose late father basically started Dana’s career. I said, “Really? Don’t you think it’ll be hard to say no if somebody offered you a few thousand today?” After a pause, she allowed … “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” So come on, friends, help out Wendy!
*OK Vern, glad you brought this up. The Republican dog and pony show is a dirty business no doubt. As we have mentioned before they made Lucille Kring run for Assembly when she could have easily won as Mayor of Anaheim. In the case of Dana, it is the old tired warhorse….that Rhonda has been keeping in the game for the last 10 years. (They have a family….you know!) At any rate, Wendy could easily run and win a variety of seats in this election cycle……..we won’t bother to mention any….because one of those may be available in the near future. Dana is very vulnerable. He has been playing the Tea Party Chamomille card for some time. His rhetoric could put almost anyone to sleep…..”Obama sucks…..Obama Sucks…Obama Sucks”. Even Ed Royce doesn’t use that tack often. Meanwhile, he has had to play the “Lindsay Graham to John McCain role” to Darrell Issa and the Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Eric Holder, IRS use of 501-C3’s, ObamaCare ACA……..nonsense. God….the whole charade is ridiculous and all meant to keep us off the real issues of Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Costs, True Inflation, Food Safety …..and a list as long as your arm. So, although the issue is basically just Drama/Trauma/Theatrics…..Wendy is running to fend off any real challengers to Dana in the Primary. These tactics have been used by both sides for years and years….pretty boring really. But then, the great minds running the Republican Party right now……are freaking out……since they know that Hillary or Joe will be our next President…and there goes another eight years out the window. Since, Dana has the name recognition….only someone like Joe Dunn or maybe Lou Correa could actually beat Dana in that District. The Democrats need a high profile name recognition candidate if they want Dana out. Since they don’t have a “Loretta Sanchez” waiting in the wings…..Dana will be re-elected for at least another two years. Dana has the NRA endorsement and that puts the capper on the game, at this time. Wendy, has been cast as the Independent/Progressive Voice and the idea is to see how many votes she gets against Dana…..for the next election cycle. Wendy has our vote……just because………..unless of course as we said….Joe or Lou would run for that seat.
I saw Wendy beg for the endorsement of the OCGOP at the central committee meeting. They had voted to NOT endorse her. She said she had taken “baby steps” at pension reform and was told that was not enough, that pensions were a huge problem gobbling up vast amounts of cash. She was told that the OCGOP needed a solid third vote on council that could be counted on to help save finances and be able to put money elsewhere for the good of the taxpayer. Wendy then said she could be counted on and begged, yes begged, to be believed and to please endorse her. In the end, after a few speakers said they believed her and she could be trusted, she received the endorsement. Then on a Saturday she let all hell break loose on the OCGOP in the paper, three days before a vote on pension/salaries and backstabbed the ocgop with her vote. While anyone can have a change of heart after studying issues, it was the Saturday tirade against the ocgop , the party that was out there handing out flyers for her, walking precincts for her, and already voting absentee for her, that was unacceptable for many. Why not just vote her conscious and not berate all who worked for her? Because she felt guilty. Rather than explain her position she had to attack those who helped her, to convince herself they were evil. Now she has been playing the men vs. women game for more than a year. Add to this that she nothing to show for 8 years on council, is not a good speaker even from notes, and she is unelectable. Debbie Cook was far superior than Wendy and had lots of money and look what happened.I hope Wendy runs. (btw, her “switch” in positions WAS brilliant, she already had a lot of ocgop absentee votes and mailers sent then got the union vote afterwards at the polls. She barely beat an unknown for the seat. without the switch she may have lost the seat. In her first run for council four years earlier she ran, as Geoff West stated, as a”barnacle” on the back of Mansoor and got in that way due to the popularity of the anti illegal immigrant agenda back then- the marching and waving of Mexican flags and such was repulsive to so many of the voters, the same voters who overwhelmingly passed prop 187). This is another viewpoint that is out there shared by many. How many only the vote will tell.
This sort of characterization (“I saw Wendy beg … yes, begged”) from an anonymous poster is exactly the sort of thing that pollutes most of the OC political blogosphere. I know who you are, but others don’t, and they have no basis to judge the legitimacy of your opinion. And Leece has no way to fire back at you — because you (as the author) are not corporeal and your interests can only be imagined. Bear in mind that, for all those of us who weren’t there know, these could be simply made-up accusations by a paid political operative. (I don’t think that that’s the case here — but the line between this sort of thing and such an anonymous ninja attack is pretty blurry.)
Why don’t you just man up, “deadwhitemale,” and give these observations under a name where the credibility of the author can be assessed? Or, if you won’t, find someone else with a real name — someone who could be interviewed and challenged and who has a reputation to lose — to present these allegations? As it stands, it’s a series of chickenshit cheap shots and I’m inclined to spike it — despite that Leece is competing for votes with a candidate that I favor.
I’m interested in others’ opinions on this. (Not yours, Stanley.)
It occurs to me that you should to stop allowing people to comment anonymously. Doing so will certainly make this blog much less interesting place but will achieve a better sense of your desired homogeneity.
The interesting thing as I see it, is the arbitrary way in which anonymity is dealt with, if I my views were that of Demaguage who was revered here, I would be viewed differently than deadwhitemale or kenlaysnotdead or even Skalleywag, people with three different views.
Did Red Vixen not ever voice contraian views, that were maybe considered by some to be caustic?
If you allow dogs in your house, don’t complain when they shit on the rug.
There’s a substantial difference between commenting anonymously and participating in character assassination.
There is no cost to the former. Represent whatever view you choose, caustic included. If you want to engage in the latter, you’ll have to risk your own character as a result.
I think that’s pretty reasonable. Just my two cents.
Ryan basically gets it right. The anonymous and pseudonymous commenters here do liven the place up — willie deville, for example, and often you. It’s only when that is combined with character assassination that I have a problem with it.
Let’s imagine for a moment that your real name is Joe Btfsplk (I choose that name to, probably, delight the Winships) and an anonymous commenter comes here with a very detailed story of how they saw you smoking meth last month while wearing a Klan robe and sexually molesting a five-year old. Then another one — maybe the same person, but you can’t prove it — comes here and says that they were there too, but they thought that the kid had to be at least six. Then someone else writes in and says that they weren’t there, but they heard you bragging about it later. And all of this is, of course, completely made up.
That sort of concerted effort would have a foreseeable negative impact on you — and certainly on your political effectiveness. You’d really just laugh it off? If it happened to your best friend, your son, your daughter, would you really just tell them to laugh it off? If someone owns up to it, they can be refuted or challenged — but when it’s someone who could be the person sitting next to you this afternoon trading jokes, for all you know, you’re powerless to do anything more than deny deny deny — which as LBJ could tell you is deadly deadly deadly.
If you say that you don’t see the problem, then I think that you’re lying. If you really don’t see the problem, then I think you have a blind spot. And note: I felt this way before I ever started running for office myself.
I don’t want homogeneity — as I think you realize. I want this not to be a pit where the worst political practices — the ones that detract from real discuss of the issues, including character issues — make decent discussion impossible.
there were a couple hundred witnesses to what happened with leece and the ocgop meeting. Geoff west’s blog comments of Wendy as a barnacle can probably still be found. to call this character assassination makes me smile since half the article is a character assassination of Dana. chasing everyone off is something to be considered here but I think this place would become very boring and just be an MSNBC type thing with matching ratings.
And yet Geoff has changed his mind about Wendy over the years, just as she has changed and grown.
I see that he is promoting this piece…
Great. Find one who will attach his name to your comment so she has someone at which to return fire.
If Vern is character assassinating Dana, Dana knows who to go after. Leece, vis a vis you, does not.
Is there something about this that you don’t understand?
Do you people not remember that Wendy Leece and all the city council members violated State law and called the Feds in regarding A state issue of Medical Marijuana they brought Stormtroopers to go into people’s homes in Costa Mesa with assault rifles and put guns in the faces of pregnant woman and young children. I met with this woman at Canyon Park who claims she supports Veterans. She had the nerve to tell me that our Veterans here in Costa Mesa could go to Long Beach if they wanted to get Cannabis for their ailments. Forget that most are on fixed incomes. She did not want it in her city. Forget that these Vets were sent away to war and coping has been difficult cannabis helps them more than the black box warning drugs prescribed. Over 20 veterans a day are committing suicide and it’s people like Wendy Leece who are to blame. Until this self serving woman changes her stance about this issue I will continue to comment about our meeting. Wendy and all you parasitic politicians need to serve the people and then get real jobs. Our founding Fathers did not want politicians to be parasites off the backs of the people for the rest of their lives.
*Bobby….and DWM…..you guys are stomping on ants again while the elephants are getting away. Good grief, who wants a Cannabis shop next door to their kids school or grandmother’s house? The Long Beach Naval Hospital serves most of the Orange County Veterans. We do not have a Vet Hospital here that we know of ….but if you know of one – let us know, so we can go there too. As far as personality traits are concerned; Wendy is a mom first, a school teacher 2nd and a politically concerned person third. Yes, Wendy loves to show her feet of clay a little too much – but in a world full of ego driven, lying, scheming, slime bags that call themselves politicians – taking the back door money from anyone that will give it to them – what is worse in your opinion: Someone that disagrees with your petty issues or that actually has a semblance of character?
Who knows…..who the great political Angels are: We like Katrina Foley too. She is bright as a button, but you might also disagree with some of her ideas too. Maybe Katrina should run against Dana? Have anything to say about that? Meanwhile, as we said – Wendy is doing her duty “for this Republcian gig” to get back in the good graces of those who have the say. Wendy can win a variety of seats in the future and our bet is – not to count her out, just yet!
DWM,….loves being in the warm, boozy, embrace of Crazy Dana
?
Shouldn’t that be the warm, DAMP, boozy embrace of Crazy Dana?
Ron& Anna
Ignorance is bliss. Cannabis is one of the safest pants on this planet. It is documented by Chief Administrative law Judge DEA Frances Young. The fact of the matter is sugar, soda, fast food and alcohol ,tobacco are far more dangerous to your children not to mention Pharmaceutical drugs. Btw aspirin has caused more deaths annually than marijuana has ever caused which that number is 0. My name is Robert not Bobby. Issues regarding Veterans is very important to me being that I am one. Forget about the fact that they broke the law. By calling in Feds for state issues. You are a hypocrite so check yourself.
*OK Bobby…..don’t get all in a huff and puff. Even Robert DeNiro can be called Bobby…just ask Sharon Stone. Who do you think you are Robert Gates? Good Grief….if you take yourself so seriously……..all those diet sodas you are ingesting will defintely do harm. Our advice: “NO Mini’s EVER!”
OK Veterans……Since you either sound like a Lifer or a Short Term National Guard guy…..we can say with impuniy: We were Drafted: Citizen Soldiers…and we went not for Robert Strange McNamara or LBJ. We went for over 200 years of American History. We were drafted July 1967. Got out July 1969. We just went to visit MOH Recipent Walt Ehlers at the Long Beach (Ex-Naval Hospital- Now VA Facility in November just a few weeks before he passed away – so jump off your Hobby Horse and get with the program. So, Bobby…..tell us what rank you held in the Armed Forces of these United States…..since we were simple SP4, Cryptographic Com Chief’s…..we don’t know too much…..but we do understand Rank and what that means. By the way, how many visits to the Long Beach VA have you made lately? If you want to do Mary Jane, Acapulco Gold, Zihautenaeo Green or Maui Wowie…….better move up to Denver where their feet still haven’t touched the ground yet. Don’t go to Portland however, cause they will get you caught up in some Meth Lab activity before you know it.
Little doubt, there are many who need Marijuana for a variety of very real ailments and should be able to buy it online….if they are infirmed. These outlets however need Security and as everyone knows…….without Quality Control…..the whole system is running into poison weed…..that can kill more than cure. Because it might be “inconvenient” for you or yours to follow the law as proscribed by Downtown Jerry Brown…….well – tough tittie…..dude. Put the Mary Jane Law up for a vote of the people and see what happens. As far as your DEA buddy Frank goes – which Big Pharma company’s backdoor payroll is he on? Just kidding…..but ONE person declaring All Cannabis safe is like declaring “Peace in our time!” Says who….again?
You sound like an old Lady in fact I was Active Duty Army and I volunteered. I again state you are ignorant. Because the State of California the People of the State voted to legalize Medical Marijuana in 1996. So pull your head out. Again do some Home work no deaths ever attributed to Marijuana. I did not mention Diet Soda but it is toxic as well I referred to regular soda. The harmful effects of sugar have caused more deaths daily than in the history of marijuana. Please go learn something instead of drinking the koolaid like some Jim Jones Follower. Think educate yourself you poor excuse for a human. You still have not addressed my concern of over 20 suicides daily of Veterans. Anna you hide behind some impotent man named Ron. You are extremely ignorant. The Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Drug Enforcement Agency name is France L Young. Please go read up on him and his findings after all evidence was presented. He too at one point was as ignorant as you until he had to hear and see the evidence.
*Active duty – what does that mean? What Unit? How long did you serve? Sounds like you are non called up Guard guy. 2nd Armored Cav here sir…and we had a lot of Old Ladies in that outfit….that kicked butt all over Nixonland Cambodia and still stood guard against the Commie Border Threat. Ever hear of Czechoslavkia in August of ’68? Never mind……moving on…….You have your Expert Opinion and we have ours. Take your head out of your clouds and read up about the unfettered Bad Drugs that are being put out there. We aren’t against Medical Mary Jane,
anymore than Wendy Leece is. She is just following “The Accountability Rule” and “The Quality Control Rule”….let those that need it get it if they have a proper prescription. They don’t need to have a local “Head Shop” to get it. Let them get it from a Government On-Line Facility that can trace the sale as they do Firearm buys. No biggie. Didn’t hear your rank troop……we are waiting!
Back off Winships. I wrote about Robert here, two years ago: http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/02/breaking-medical-marijuana-program-muzzled-on-koci/
Wendy says:
“…we had 42 mostly out of control clinics. No rules. Crazy. Crime. Prostitution at fair and harbor… We asked feds to help us get control. I mentioned other cities that have 1 or 2 clinics which city can control. Long Beach is working on ordinance. I will watch. Yes I love vets but there are many other issues of public safety to consider. There are also delivery services.”
For what that’s worth…
*Chairman Vern,
There is little doubt that RM is a patriot. However, in spite of good deeds you need to have good strategy and tactics. Seeing the suffering of others and trying to stop it is certainly wonderful. As you know, we are always on that side of the issue. However, keeping a grip on Abuse of the System works both ways. Politicians make mistakes, play double speak and worst of all……take money from Special Interests to get elected over and over again. Everyone needs to make a buck, create a cash flow and live. We understand all that, but again….this 2014 and if people want to dispense Marijuana to others …it surely must be regulated. Since this is a state, soon national issue…..we fully support State Operated Dispensaries which can be accessed online, documented and makes abuse a more difficult task. Where there is money…there is organized crime, gangs, foreign crime syndicates and worse domestic gamblers and tinkerers. You can thank RM for his service…in Desert Shield, but we are still concerned that he isn’t willing to mention his Unit Assignment or rank. Being forthcoming about your history is an important part of the process as we all know. This is called “veracity”. You have it. Greg has it and Inge has it. We have not had the pleasure of vetting RM…..but his own words might make the process easier. As you say, too many people want to remain “nameless” or “worthless” or “less than…” That may not diminish their fact telling, but it does affect the impact they can make on society.
You are a fraud. I have 3 honorable discharges make up your mind you PX soldier. First you said you were Navy now your Army. You are ignorant pos. go on Facebook I don’t hide anything and I don’t hide behind stupid old ladies. I am more of a patriot than you will ever know. Your ignorance is so sad.
I’m going to suggest that all sides of this argument not engage with one another for the rest of the day.
Greg
Sad fact is Winships write checks w their mouths that their asses can’t cash. They cannot respond to my very specific questions. Mr Winship anytime you want to step in the ring let me fix your mouth for you. I bet you don’t have the courage to step up. Lol read all my comments they cannot answer anything cannot even look the information up to verify. Just attack seen many of crotchety old pos like them and I laugh.
If you must know. I was a combat medic with 1/36 infantry , I was also with 299 combat engineers. I sir am very high speed low drag and don’t write checks w my mouth that I can’t cash. I was with several other units get off your lazy butt and find out. 1968 I was born still don’t perpetrate that I was Army and Navy. I volunteered for 3 years active duty and extended and reupped to become practical nurse.
Still have not responded about my petty issue of Veteran Suicides. You sir are a Coward and I laugh at how weak you are. Ps message me on Facebook I will give you my address and phone number if you have the gumption.
Ron& Anna
My petty issue of 20 veterans committing suicide daily. You are a p.o.s. How dare you tell me my issue is petty. Furthermore their is no naval hospital in long beach for Veterans. They have long beach VA. Again you show me and everyone else how out of touch you are. Do yourself a favor and keep your ignorant comments to yourself your ignorance does not help you or any politician you think you are defending.
Robert,
I don’t know that there is any other candidate in the race who favors dispensaries in Costa Mesa. (There could be; I just don’t know of any.) That — and not any lack of importance of the issue — is why I wouldn’t focus on it: because it doesn’t allow people to choose between the candidates. As you probably know, we focus plenty on those issues here where they matter; see, for example, Vern’s currently continuing saga on the tribulations of Paul Lucas.
I asked Wendy briefly about the Drug War … one of the few things Dana is good on, not that he accomplishes much. It wasn’t interesting enough to get into the already-long article, but she said she “favors treatment over incarceration,” and that she’s not against the medical cannabis but “cities need to be able to regulate dispensaries better” or something like that.
I’ll see if I can get her response to Robert’s first comment. This IS important to us.
Vern,
So convenient now Wendy has changed her stance from just over two years ago. Spoken like a true Politician.
Not so concerned about the stance on Costa Mesa. These parasites have started their platform into politics from Costa Mesa. However on a National Level if they can’t even clean their house locally why would we send more useless Politicians to DC.
Someone’s going to represent CA-48 in Congress. We don’t get a “we’re mad at everyone so we’re not sending anyone” option. Whoever that person is will, inevitably, be imperfect and wrong on at least some issues. One deals with that disappointment and does the best one can.
*Robert……you can certainly bad mouth with the best of them. Sadly, the great fraternity they call the Armed Services of this country can give and take away from anyone. We are rather disappointed that you target your arguments to personal attacks. But hey, that’s OK. What is not OK is that you have failed to mention your highest Rank. That is telling. You say you were a medic? Great….E-5, E-6…what? We already told you we were SP4……so you have your advantage, but usually rank has its privileges and RESPONSIBILITIES. We have an Honorable Discharge, so we played the best game we could under the circumstances.
There is absolutely nothing Petty about Suicides in the Services. You are the one that called that….not us. But here goes: Politics create wars. Politicians and Staff Officers create the Battlefields and Rules of Engagement. Way above any of our pay scales. What happens after that…..they call war and innocent people die, honorable people die, less than alert people die, unlucky people die and the list goes on and on. When the “geek” in our Basic Class, pulled the pin on his grenade……and the pin went left and the grenade went out of his hand right…..it was only the heroism of our SSG that scooped up the grenade and threw it over the berm to save our lives. 15 of us were within 20 feet of the “Geek”. So, let’s get this straight…..PTSD now or “Give up Itus” during the Korean War…….kill folks – no doubt. So do training excercises, so do manuver accidents and so do bad guys with AK-47’s and RPG’s. They all kill just the same. So do bad relationships when the troop gets home and finds out that “Jodie got his girl, wife or kids!” Nothing fair and there are no heroes, just a bunch of survivors that try to pass on their survival wisdom to others. No need to fight us Robert…..we are your supporters, your pals. Does that mean that whatever you say is gospel? Not lately dude. This is still America and we can save lives too….you are not the only Arch Angel in game. OK, give us your highest rank and we will call “detante”. Give you your approvals for being a prior service nightmare…..to us old fogies….who fought when they still used bows and arrows. Stay cool dude……we are all in this mess together. No need to piss off the Good Humor Man…..as they used to say.
In his little Valentine to to Wendy Leece, Vern omitted Leece’s first foray into local politics: her election as a trustee for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. In her brief tenure, Leece attempted to force feed students a diet of her Christian pentecostalism. Her dimwitted suggestions for academic excellence included bolting the Ten Commandments to the wall of every classroom in the district and demanding that science teachers give equal time to her religion’s Book of Genesis in their biology classes.
She tried to ban two books from the high-school curriculum: Isabel Allende’s “Snow Falling on Cedars” and David Guterson’s “Of Love and Shadows.” In all seriousness, she said, “Is it ever appropriate, for any age of our students, to read [the Allende and Guterson books] just because the book at some point was deemed of great literary value and won awards?” Yes, and is our children learning?
When a student eye and ear clinic was discussed at trustee meetings, Leece demanded that no referrals be made to Planned Parenthood.
Mercifully, the district teachers mobilized and threw out this insipid, Know Nothing boob in the next election. Undaunted, she ran for Costa Mesa City Council, and when elected began bashing Mexicans and demanding that “In God We Trust” appear on the wall of the council chambers, even though many of us citizens preferred not to trust in her particular invisible friend.
Now she’s the Friend of the Working Class. Good for her. I still won’t vote for her even if I could. And I’m certain Rohrabacher will trounce her.
Anyone with a real name want to step up and own this comment? Doesn’t need to be “Anita,” just someone with personal knowledge of these facts who agrees with “her” and can defend them. (It’s a shame if not, because it’s mostly a well-crafted comment.)
I know Anita, and sadly, it sounds like it’s mostly true. Or, the more recent stuff is true, the older stuff probably is. I’ve only been following her since 2009.
If any of it’s not, she’ll tell me.
You needn’t take my word for it, Vern:
http://articles.latimes.com/2001/jan/26/local/me-17409
This was also well reported in the “Daily Pilot.” (You could look it up, as the Old Perfesser said.) I recall one especially smarmy, tortured defense of Leece written by Steve Smith, one of the Pilot’s feature writers, who anointed her for Fundamentalist Sainthood. (Or perhaps Angel First Class, with Clarence Oddbody.)
The problem with politicians like Wendy Leece — politicians who attempt to force their religion into purely secular, civic matters — is that either they’re transparent cynics or transparently stupid. I don’t think Leece is especially stupid, so she had to have known that the ACLU would have hauled the school district into court had they put the Ten Commandments in our classrooms or included creationism as biological science —
while the rest of the state laughed their asses off at the Bible thumpers from Newport-Mesa.
She knew what she proposed was blatantly illegal; thus her proposal was obviously a cynical attempt to get publicity, garner traction among the fundamentalist Christian flubadubs, and further her political career.
If she didn’t know her proposal was illegal, we must assume she’s bone-deep stupid and thus unfit for public office. And if she’s a cynical opportunist, she’s hardly an observant Christian.
Sadly, for the separation of church and state, her legacy will remain in the Costa Mesa council chambers indefinitely; until someone takes the city to court for blazoning “In God We Trust” on the chamber wall. I wrote a letter to the ACLU about it, and they replied that they had to pick their battles carefully. They couldn’t afford the time or the money to take on city hall.
I suspect Leece knew that as well. Costa Mesa was easy pickings.
I was there actually that night speaking against Wendy’s “In God We Trust” proposal. It was actually brought to, I think, most OC cities back around then, and I think it was a Republican trick to try and paint Democrats as anti-God (since we’re the only ones who care about pluralism and the Constitution … generally.) And in Costa Mesa that night it passed unanimously. The one Democrat, Katrina Foley, was persuaded by all her friends to just bite the bullet and vote for it, after seeing what happened to Debbie Cook in HB and Gus Ayer in FV when they made the principled stand against it.
I did my old “White People Are Special” routine, where I commend the “In God We Trust” plaque and say that there should also be a “White People Are Special” one next to it, and that if there happen to be any non-white people who come to city hall, they just don’t have to look at it. And I would bring a model for it, with pictures of Margaret Thatcher, Phil Donahue, Edgar Winter and Florence Henderson.
It was a weird and intense meeting. It started with us all singing kumbayah. Most people were there to support the Council writing a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger asking him not to sell the Fairgrounds … I wasn’t sure about Mansoor, Bever and Monahan, but that ended up passing unanimously (after I sang Costa Mesa’s first musical comment, a version of “Tainted Love” called “Tainted Sale.”)
Then it was depressing to go from that to “In God We Trust.” Wrote about it all here… http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2009/11/are-our-brains-just-built-differently/
I still think Wendy has evolved since 2001. I’m not going to call her dumb or naive, but your idea of her as a cynical demagogue just doesn’t compute.
“I’m not going to call her dumb or naive, but your idea of her as a cynical demagogue just doesn’t compute.”
Vernon, she’s either one or the other. Either she’s utterly clueless about our Constitution or she’s the Sammy Glick of Costa Mesa politics. Do you really think that at age 65 she’s suddenly been bathed in the blood of the lamb, embraced trade unionism and the common man, and repented of her pentecostal fervor? I hardly think so.
Anita is right on point and running on all cylinders.
I want Wendy and Sue to take enough votes from Dana in June to bring him under 50%. That’ll be a historic psychological moment for west Orange County. Then we’ll take it from there.
I am taking my neighbor to get ashes, so I need to run, But:
“Let’s imagine for a moment that your real name is Joe Btfsplk (I choose that name to, probably, delight the Winships) and an anonymous commenter comes here with a very detailed story of how they saw you smoking meth last month while wearing a Klan robe and sexually molesting a five-year old. Then another one — maybe the same person, but you can’t prove it — comes here and says that they were there too, but they thought that the kid had to be at least six. Then someone else writes in and says that they weren’t there, but they heard you bragging about it later. And all of this is, of course, completely made up.”
I would note that the KKK or the KLAN was originally created to after skalleywags and carpetbaggers. How times have changed.
Also, If the child was male acted maturely (is that a word?) and the molester a female teacher, should we consider him “responsible” and not really a rape or moslestation, after all I was six once…..(this is of course irrelevant now, I just read your charges were dropped against your teacher friend.) as another poster says: Just Sayin’
Let the season of new life commence!
Season of new life? Season of penitence you mean.
See, that’s the kind of thing I mean: she was not “my teacher friend,” she was my daughter’s math teacher at one point, and yet beyond denying your anonymous assertion I don’t know who to scowl at when meeting you in person, or who’s character to challenge when speaking to others because “after all, he’s a well-known pervert himself.” It’s hardly fair — which seems to be exactly the way you want it.
Really?? Is that the “kind of thing you mean”?
Not to be combative, but….
[Ed. note: Oops. Lots more deleted, for the same old reasons. Got sick of it.]
Very Chmilewinski of you!
Sometimes you drive me to great heights. Or depths.
“She answers that she is very supportive of “crisis pregnancy centers,” adoption, and something called “Project Cuddle.” Possibly all good things as far as I know. ”
Crisis Pregnancy Centers are funded by the religious right’s anti-choice/anti-abortion movement. They misinform, shame, and evangelize.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22770790
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=exposing%20crisis%20pregnancy%20centers%20&sm=1
“Pushed a little further, she owns that “Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and I’m not going to try to make abortions any harder to get.””
That vague and weak response concerns me. Woman anti-abortion politicians may be more dangerous for reproductive freedom and privacy rights than the likes of a Rohrbacher.
As a Republican (Very unhappy one at that), You have hit the nail on the head when it comes to Congressman Dana Rohrabacher… He has done nothing positive for our party and continues to be another Lame Duck Politician.
The way our party is headed and has been heading for the last decade is obviously not working. We need men and women willing to lead us into the Future with a Futuristic outlook, Not by living in the past.
Wendy Leece is a change, Someone that can hopefully give us a better chance of moving into the future. I would give her my vote or even vote Democrat, Before I wasted another vote on Dana….
As someone who takes the time to meet with my Representatives, I sure hope we get some new way of thinking in here, Because the Representatives I meet have no clue.
#OUTDATEDOLDWHITEGUYS just saying
Jason D. Andrews
Executive Director
pro215.com
Changing the hearts and minds of one Politician at a time.
When Wendy was on the NMUSD board I worked on the (successful) campaign to oust her. There was a vote to accept federal funds for reduced price lunches for students and she voted AGAINST it. I never could understand why someone would actually want students to go hungry. There was a reason we got rid of her. She may be better than Dana, but not by much. You don’t expect religious fundamentalists to change. They just don’t. Wendy goes on and on about “I’m a teacher.” I appreciate her part-time work with kids, but unless you have spent a lifetime dealing with 200 kids a day, no you aren’t. Please don’t waste our time supporting her.
What we need are openly Non-religious politicians, like in the Netherlands some of the best run countries in the world, they just know how to get along with each other.
With the USA having 20% of the population not affiliated in the religion business, I think There should be more political representatives for this minority. As most of the intelligent people in this country are without religion, such as Scientist etc.like in the Cosmos series On TV Neil Degrasse Tyson a very intelligent man and not hampered by religion..
George
Member of, The Seal Beach Atheist Meetup Group….
Join us at Meetup.com
Right now, I’d settle for ridding OC of politicians who worship Mammon.