Now that the 2016 Election Year is upon us, perhaps we might take two minutes to ponder why America is REALLY great, (Sorry, Donald) why our Democracy is threatened and what needs to happen so those who come after us will still be casting ballots 100 years from now.

Despite the fact that the explosion of media on all platforms means there is more information, more available, to more people, than at anytime ever before, people are more disengaged and misinformed than ever before. Clearly our Founding Fathers would not be happy. I have no idea what the turnouts were for the first few American elections, but the citizens in the 13 colonies talked a lot more about issues and were more informed than we are, collectively. They debated. They questioned. They were more actively engaged. They demanded more from their leaders and when those leaders did not listen, those first Americans got organized, fought for their country and created a new one. Our country. That's how it happened. Our Democracy was made possible because people cared, got engaged, got involved and took action.

During the last election I was assigned to watch LA County tally the votes.  An army of dedicated workers and volunteers worked late into the morning handling ballots delivered by car, truck and a wave of helicopters from all over the County... each bag, each box, every ballot, maybe YOUR ballot, delivered, checked in, coded, handled, counted and verified with dedication, to make sure every vote, YOUR vote, counted.  Yet only 13% of us took the time.. the LOWEST Primary Election turnout in LA County history.  The lowest EVER.

And that's sad because it has never been easier to vote. You can register online in five minutes. You can go to a polling place before, during or after work. If you’re too busy you can sign up ONCE to vote by mail in EVERY election and never even hassle with a polling place. Pamphlets paid for by your tax dollars come to your home with all the info you need to make decisions, weeks before the election. There is info on every issue available online, in newspapers and on TV.

If we take the time...

But many of us don't. We allow big money and bad politicians to win. We are to blame.  It’s not Citizens United, or powerful unions, or corrupt politicians or big business. The real enemy is us. The only reason the U.S. exists today is because the colonists and their leaders knew enough and cared enough to take action. Our very Constitution depends on participation or else it’s just words on paper. Our Founding Fathers believed it meant something, it mattered, it was worth fighting and dying for. They believed anything short of that would endanger its existence. They were right then and now.

Power loves ignorance and inaction. Muddle the masses with straw issues. Keep potential voters so busy working they won’t have time to engage and to vote, then our paid-for, lobbied and pollster-picked messages will carry the day and we’ll profit. That's not how you or our country should function. That's not what you want. It's why our Democracy is hurting, and why politicians make promises and pass laws that favor money and not you.

It's not the media's fault. Nor politicians. Nor big money. It's ours.

So let us enter this Election Year with a new determination to be more involved, more engaged and more active in the guidance of our country's future.

It's very survival depends on it. 

Please feel free to comment and share. 

Dear LA Times Editor,

Thank you for publishing the "Power Move' opinion piece by the Sierra Club’s Evan Gillespie that exposes how the California Public Utilities Commission could approve a regressive, new electric rate pricing system that lowers bills for the state’s highest energy users and increases rates for most everyone else.

Why would the CPUC even consider such a giveaway to big utilities at the expense of the rapidly-growing solar energy industry?

Please count me among the many proud California Sierra Club members and others who kindly request that if the CPUC approves these changes, it must also remove the word “Public” from it's title.

Sincerely,

John Cyrus Smith
​Sierra Club Member and Santa Monica Resident
​NanoNewsNow.com

When it comes to music, you’ve probably had this conversation before, the one that starts with the question, “Who was the greatest Beatle?” Most will chime in about why Paul McCartney or John Lennon is the hands-down winner, and we do hear an occasional vote for George Harrison, but rarely does someone step forward with a nod toward Ringo Starr. My pop tendencies may root me firmly in the ‘Paul’ camp, but it must be mentioned that the Beatles did not hit it big until Ringo joined the band. And his recent entry as a solo artist into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame brings back memories of the night I met him ever so briefly.

It was a chance encounter in the early 90’s, at one of LA’s finest restaurants at the time, on La Cienega’s restaurant row. I’d gone there to dinner, as had Ringo and his wife, Barbara Bach. I ventured outside to the valet to get my car after dinner, and there they were: A distinguished and laid-back looking Ringo, with the ever-radiant Barbara on his arm, standing on the sidewalk with another two dozen patrons crowded around the valet station.  “Wow, there’s Ringo “, I thought, followed quickly by, “How long’s it going to take to get my car”.

I ventured over to see what the hold-up was, and of course, to get a closer look at Ringo and Barbara. He’s a Beatle, after all. I was among greatness. Yet Ringo Starr was waiting politely for his car just like the rest of us. Stalled in the tiny alley which led to all of our cars, sat a small Fiat surrounded by a half-dozen valets huddled like Keystone Cops, wondering how they might move it. And looking on was Ringo, at the head of the line, a slight smile on his tastefully bearded face, wondering like the rest of the small crowd if he might ever get home that night.

If you know me, you know I could not let this stand…

Seems the car was stuck in gear, the steering wheel frozen and the key not moving. By this time the valets were trying to lift the car out of the way.  But alas, cars, even small ones, are heavy. I walked up to the valet convention and said, “Let me give it a try.”

No. I didn’t lift the sports car. But having one of my own, I did climb in and started jiggling the key and the steering wheel, anything I could think of to get Fix It Again, Tony out of the way. The crowd grew. Then suddenly, the wheel gave way, the ignition turned and I fired up the car to the delight of Ringo and the rest, who applauded respectfully as I slid out of the driver’s seat. I have to admit, I was kind of proud of myself. A valet jumped in and raced the car up the tiny alley, a Pied Piper with valets running behind it, a sure sign that all of our cars had finally been freed and would soon be arriving shortly.

Nowadays Ringo may have a bit of a rep as a sort of rock star curmudgeon. Awhile back he let it be known he was a tad tired of all the queries about Beatledom he still receives daily. But on this night, he was ever the gentleman.

A valet approached Ringo and Barbara, assuring them breathlessly their car would be arriving promptly. Ringo, though, would have none of it. “No, please. Go get his car first,” he said, gesturing toward me. I said, “No Ringo, that’s all right. You go. Just glad to help.”  But Ringo insisted, in his trademark Liverpool accent, “No, you go first. We’d be ‘ere all night if it weren’t for you.”  The valet did as Ringo instructed, my car rolled up and the valet opened my door. I smiled. Ringo smiled back. So did Barbara. And the night I met Ringo was complete. I drove off content with the knowledge I’d just met and helped a Beatle, ever cognizant of the fact that he and I had shared a moment in time, and had gotten by with a little help from our friends.

Thanks for reading and sharing...

(Published in Santa Monica Daily Press)

Dear Editor,

The REAL reason voters have two confusing Santa Monica Airport initiatives to decipher and contemplate is because of a bull-headed blunder on the part of four City Council members.

When Council members O’Connor, O’Day, Davis and Holbrook initially approved the Hines Project, they did so despite an avalanche of resident input urging them NOT to. These four Council members disregarded the hundreds of emails and the thoughtful testimony of countless residents at Council and Planning Commission meetings. They also approved Hines knowing full well that residents had formed Residocracy and had vowed to gather enough signatures to rescind the project if Council approved it. These four Council members essentially dared residents and Residocracy to defy them.

We all know what happened next… Residocracy gathered the signatures and the Council was FORCED to rescind Hines, which never should have been approved in the first place.

The big pro-airport money ($545,000 and growing) behind Measure D saw this as an opportunity and thought… “We’ve got a ton of money. We can do the same thing.”  They paid people to gather signatures, got Measure D on the ballot, and the Council was forced to do SOMETHING and came up with Measure LC as an alternative.

Now we voters are left with two confusing airport choices because four City Council members went against the wishes of residents and tried to force Hines down our throats.

Oops.

Mayor O’Connor led the support for Hines. She also led the push to approve it, encouraged others to do likewise and went against the wishes of most residents in doing so.  She bears most of the responsibility for this blunder.

Please remember it when you vote November 4th. Please also vote NO on D and Yes on LC. 

Just because four Council members screwed up doesn’t mean you have to.

Thank you,

John C. Smith

Member, SM Democratic Club, Sierra Club, SMRR, and the Wilmont Executive Board

(Published in Santa Monica Daily Press)

Dear Editor,

Thank you for covering the lawsuit filed by Elizabeth Riel, who was hired, then fired by the City of Santa Monica. I hope your coverage strives to include the following elements as the story develops...

For starters, the city stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars because of this lawsuit, due to the actions of a few of its leaders, beyond City Manager Rod Gould.

Let's be clear. Gould was hired by the City Council to manage the city's affairs. Whatever they decide, it is his job to do. He has probably overseen the hiring of hundreds of employees without interference from Council
members. But not this time. He hired Ms. Riel after an exhaustive interview process. He knew of Ms. Riel's political activities eight years ago and didn't think they were a problem. So what happened? The only logical conclusion to be drawn is that someone on the Council thought the hiring WAS a big problem and told him to undo it, or he would have never rescinded the offer.

Mayor O'Connor will only say publicly that she 'may have mentioned Riel's hiring' to Gould.

Right.

Of course, now no one, including O'Connor, Gould or City Attorney Moultrie can discuss the case because it is 'pending litigation', which is often the case in such matters, and we residents are left wondering what really happened. Meantime, the City stands to lose a lot of money because of a mismanaged hire/fire episode that clearly appears to be politically motivated.

The fact the City is using outside legal help to handle the case, at great expense, when Ms.Moultrie has any number of six-figure salaried legal eagles in her flock who could handle it, only compounds this costly debacle.

So what will happen? This case will never go to trial. It will be settled out of court, as quietly as possible, at great cost. After the election, of course. The settlement will include a provision that all parties agree not to discuss the settlement. Rod Gould will leave, which will deflect attention away from the Mayor, and we will never really know who had Riel un-hired.

But we do know. And our collective voices will reflect what we've learned when we vote November 4th, despite the blizzard of glossy mailers paid for by developer money that will urge us to vote otherwise.

Sincerely,

John C. Smith

Now that the 4th July, and it's fireworks, barbecues, parades, friends, family and fun is behind us, perhaps we might take two minutes to ponder why our country is great, why Democracy is threatened and what needs to happen so those who come after us will still be celebrating the 4th 100 years from now.

The Founding Fathers and citizens who created our country were actively engaged and willing to die for their cause.  Some did die.  I have no idea what the turnouts were for those first few American elections, but we do know the citizens in the 13 colonies talked a lot more about issues than we do. They debated.  They questioned.  They were more actively engaged. They demanded more from their leaders and when those leaders did not listen, those first Americans got organized and booted their leaders out, fought for their country and created a new one.  Our country. That's how it happened. Because of them. A Democracy, our Democracy, it’s very existence, was made possible because people cared, got engaged, got involved and took action.

We saw some of that active engagement with the Supreme Court's ruling on Hobby Lobby and birth control.  People not normally engaged became so, our collective voice grew louder and more informed, debate ensued. The ruling itself is not the issue.  The active engagement IS. But only if it continues.

Another example: Citizens United.  Oh how so many hem and haw about how damaging it is… we condemn the big money that buys elections and politicians and shake our heads every time a crooked leader gets caught with their hand in the influence cookie jar.  Big money buys elections and influence because we allow it to. We let that money rule decision-making because all too often we are not engaged, not politically active enough. Democracy does not work effectively without collective engagement.  The softer the voice, the more likely it can be drowned out by a persistent few who speak louder or spend more.  If all of us become just a little more vocal, a little more involved, a bit more informed and take a bit more action on the issues we hold dear, politicians and Supreme Court Justices would be forced to listen.  No corporate interests could buy an election if everyone voted.  But when one’s political choices are determined by full-color mailers paid for by big money to support candidates who are then obligated to return favors via legislation, we allow that money and those interests to rule our politicians, our decisions and ultimately, us.

This past election I was assigned to watch LA County tally the votes.  An army of dedicated workers and volunteers worked late into the morning handling ballots delivered by car, truck and a wave of helicopters from all over the County... each bag, each box, every ballot… maybe YOUR ballot, delivered, checked in, coded, handled, counted and verified with dedication, to make sure every vote, YOUR vote, counted.  Only 13% of us took the time.. the LOWEST Primary Election turnout in LA County history.  The lowest EVER.

And that's sad because it has never been easier to vote.  You can register online in five minutes.  You can go to a polling place before, during or after work.  If you’re too busy you can sign up ONCE to vote by mail in EVERY election and never even hassle with a polling place.  Pamphlets paid for by your tax dollars come to your home with all the info you need to make decisions, weeks before the election.  There is info on every issue available online, in newspapers and on TV.

If we take the time...

But many of us don't.  We let the big money win.  We are to blame.  It’s not Citizens United, or powerful unions, or corrupt politicians or big business.  The enemy is us. The only reason the U.S. exists today, the only reason we celebrate the 4th of July, is because the colonists and their leaders cared enough to take action.  Our very Constitution depends on participation or else it’s just words on paper. Our Democracy struggles because we allow it to.  The solution is in our very hands just like it was back in 1776.  If those Founding Fathers were willing and able to create our Democracy, we should at least make the effort to maintain it.  They believed it meant something, it mattered, it was worth fighting and dying for. They believed anything short of that would allow it to die.

Power loves ignorance and inaction.  Keep the masses so busy they don’t have time to vote, then our paid-for message will carry the day and we’ll profit. That's not how you or our country should function. That's not what you want. It's why our Democracy is hurting, and why politicians make laws that favor money and not citizens.  

It's not the media's fault.  It's not the fault of politicians.  It's ours.

So now that we've celebrated the 4th of July.. with fireworks, barbecues, beers, family and friends, let us honor it with a new determination to be more involved, more engaged and more active in the guidance of what it stands for.

Our Democracy's very survival depends on it. 

We will never know what was going through the minds of the four climbers and two guides who perished on Washington’s Mount Rainier last week.  The team checked in Wednesday night as they pushed toward the summit of the 14,410-foot inactive volcano, the most glaciated peak outside Alaska in North America with all the alpine attributes and dangers of taller peaks. All we know is something went wrong.  The team was planning to push to the summit Thursday and return Friday.  When they failed to show, a search ensued, and aircraft spotted a debris field 3,300 feet below Liberty Ridge, leading experts to conclude the climbers somehow plunged to their deaths. Avalanche beacon “pings” from under the snow confirmed the outcome.  The climbers fell and died on the same mountain where 11 people lost their lives in 1981 in the deadliest mountaineering accident in U.S. history.

The climbers, no doubt, had heard of that accident and of the dangers, yet they decided to climb Rainier anyway.  About 11,000 people make the same decision every year.  About half reach the summit.  I was one of them in 2005, deciding along with three friends to climb Rainier, which we'd stared at in awe every day of our lives growing up in Seattle.  Some days you could see Rainier’s entirety, a massive postcard expanse dominating the view south of Seattle.  Other days the clouds or rain or snow obscured the summit, a frigid reminder of what it must be like up there in a blizzard breathing half the usual oxygen.  We decided to climb, just like the six who died.  With 60-pound packs, headlamps, ropes and a pick-ax that could save your life should you need to thrust it into a sheet of ice during a fall, to break your slide and keep you from going over the edge into nothingness..  

I trained every day for three months before the climb.  You cannot over-train to climb a mountain, and certainly not a Rainier.  We trekked from 5,000 to 10,000 feet in about seven hours, resting only a few hours, then headed out again at midnight, tired and cold but determined to do the thing we’d decided to do while wondering why the hell we were doing it and what we had gotten ourselves into.  Night lamps and crampons on, beacons pinging, roped together close enough to help the climber ahead but far enough away so if something happened to him it might not happen to you.  There’s a lot of trust on a mountain, anticipated and unseen dangers.  You climb at night when the ice is the hardest and surest.  You sweat during the climb then freeze when you stop for even a minute.  Constantly moving, in one-hour increments, jumping crevasses, zigzagging glaciers, turning fast with razor vision whenever you hear the loud thunder of an ice sheet breaking away from the side of a cliff, always grateful a second later when you realize it’s far away and not right above you.

As we neared the summit, the 24 of us dwindled in number, the guides pacing you in the darkness to see if you should go onward.  Those who’d had enough were applauded for their effort and taken safely down.  One friend was such a climber.  He, as they say, would not conquer the mountain that day.  An hour later, about 1,500 feet shy of the summit, I thought I’d climbed my last step.  Only a young guide with a steady gait and the confidence gained during 49 Rainier summits, convinced me to keep going.  Higher. The guides played tricks with us, always saying the summit was “just beyond that next ridge”, but always there were more ridges above.    

You will never see a more beautiful sunrise than from atop a mountain.  We were trudging and tired and quiet and the guide who always said “Keep going”, for once told us to stop and turn around.  And there they were.  The very first rays of light to crack the purple-black sky, beaming from a sliver of sun on the eastern horizon.  I was too tired to take a picture, we all were,  but when I close my eyes I see it, still. A mountain holds incredible sights, things you have never seen and may never see again. I hold onto to images deep inside. You will never see in pictures what is known in the soul.  Finally, we climbed “one more ridge” and down into the crater at the top of Mount Rainier.  We’d made it.  Happy but too tired to celebrate… a quiet victory… an accomplishment… a personal challenge thrown down and answered.

Maybe something similar was going through the minds of those climbers when they died on Rainier.  We’ll never know. and I still don’t know why we climbed it, either.  All I do know is that it was the most amazing, exhilarating adventure I have ever experienced in my life… something I’d set out to do and did… living life by my own compass, staring a danger in the face and defeating it.  To live the fullest that life has to offer, to risk, try, give and put it all on the line, for the chance to feel something one has never felt before and might never feel again.     

I’m betting what just happened to me has happened to you.  Or something like it.  Actually, the only reason it happened to me is because it happened to my car, which I own.  But not all of it.  Not any more.  You see, someone snuck up to my car, probably in the middle of the night, with a screwdriver and a mission, and stole both side turn signal indicator lights from my defenseless Honda.  (Click the photo and look just left of the front tire for the hole)  Okay.  So it’s not the end of the world.  God knows if petty theft is your worst problem, life is pretty good, right?  And it is.  Especially mine.  But I’m still kind of pissed.  I know I should let it go, forget about it, nothing I can do about it now, etc., and I have.  Forgive and forget.  All that stuff.  I have.  Really.  Almost.

Trouble is, a few days after Mr. Midnight Auto Parts paid my car a visit, I was flying down the freeway and signaled to change lanes.  Another car was trying to do the same thing at the same time and wanted the same lane.  He didn’t signal and he didn’t see me.  So as I’m changing lanes he starts to move into the lane at the same time and I see him and back off and let him go.  Then it hit me.  Not having those two little turn indicators stolen by Parts Boy could have caused an accident.  Involving me.  Or someone like me or my wife or that guy or some Mom heading home to her kids.   An action so random, so small, so inconsequential, might actually cause something awful.  Painful. Tragic, even.

How often do we all do little things, often without thinking, without realizing those little things can have big consequences.  A kind word can make a day or ruin it.  The wrong word at the wrong time can make someone cry, cost a career or start a war.  A letter to a loved one, lost and never received, can change two lives without either knowing.  And some dude who probably has a car like mine, or a bad habit and an EBay account, can steal two parts from my car and never give it a thought.

But I have and I forgive him.  It’s only $130 bucks for new parts and an afternoon putting them back on.  By the way, Thanks for cutting the wires really short so putting the new parts back on is going to take that much longer.  Because I’m too stubborn to just pay the Dealer to do it.  But, I’ve promised to let it go and I am.  Parts Boy has taught me something.  All of us.  That little things, things we hardly even think about or notice, or take for granted, can trigger bigger things.  So we should be careful and kind.  Lesson learned.  Parts Boy doesn’t get it and never will.  But we do.  The little things can be big things.  The Little Things ARE the Big Things.  Thank you for reading and sharing.  Feel free to leave your comments.