Opinion

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Written by: Denise Rushing

Published: 08 February 2013

Sun, my sail and moon, my rudder,
As I ply the starry sea,
Leaning over the edge in wonder,
Casting questions into the deep.
Drifting here with my ship's companions,
All we kindred pilgrim souls,
Making our way by the lights of the heavens,
In our beautiful blue boat home.
– Peter Mayer, Blue Boat home

For many years now, I have shared a dream.  

The dream is one of an entire people collectively working to renew and restore our local vitality – the land, the waters, our communities and our economy.

As a local leader in this time and place, I am mindful that many decision-makers struggle when faced with a choice between helping the economy and allowing no environmental impact at all.  

This has been at issue for generations. In fact, the quality of our lives here today is directly related to the decisions made by those who came before us.  

The sad truth is that we have inherited decades of actions that have degraded our watershed and land base.  

Loosely translated, “environmental impact” means that habitat is degraded or destroyed and the watershed is negatively affected by a decision, even a little bit.  

To make it even tougher, these decisions aren’t really noticed until one adds up all the hundreds of small decisions from the vantage point of history – taking the view of the generations to come.   

Further, these decisions are not made any easier by our system of jurisprudence and the byzantine nature of environmental law, nor by the fact that the natural world holds no rights at all in our human system of law.  

Degradation is inevitable in these circumstances, and we now stagger under both the weight of the laws meant to stop it and the consequences of past decisions.  

I believe is possible to have a both strong economy and environmental stewardship, and I have come to believe that while laws can only slow destruction, they are not well-suited to renewal and restoration.  

Renewal can only come through people who care about their home enough to invest their time, talent and treasure and through responsible entrepreneurs who create an economy of which we can all be proud. (We could also use some outside funding from federal and state governments, who permitted economic interests areas outside our region to exploit the resources of our county for generations.)

Imagine working together to renew, restore and reimagine what it means to be alive at this time and in this place.  

To achieve such an ambitious dream, we must start with the things to which we agree and then seek common ground on the things that we don’t.

We agree:

• that good local food is not only nutritious and healthy, but good for our economy;
• that our homes and communities must be protected from wildfire;
• that buying from local businesses, keeping resources here in our community serves us all;
• that investment and jobs that bring resources to our economy without exploiting the people or environment benefit everyone;
• that a healthy Lake and watershed is vital to our economy and the well-being of our citizenry.

Here is one example of seeking common ground: we came within 4 percent of passing Measure E – a local tax measure that would invest in the long term health of Clear Lake. Sixty two percent of the voting public wasn’t enough to adopt this measure. Those who voted against it wanted a better long term plan.

So as leaders, it is our job to come up with a better long term plan and then try again. The next election cycle is in 2014. Hopefully, anyone who cares about Clear Lake will work to pass a successor to Measure E and it will be one that we can all support.

It is my intention to once again personally campaign for the successor to Measure E during that time.  I believe it is vital to turning around our economy and our environmental future.

The year 2014 is also the year that I would be seeking a third term in office if I chose to do so. Those who know me know that I had never intended to become a career politician.

After much thought I realize that I need to make an announcement at this time to give others time to plan. I have decided that I will not be seeking reelection in 2014 for the new term of office that begins in 2015.

It is my hope that thoughtful, engaged and energetic people will discern whether they are called to step into the role of District 3 supervisor and choose to run for office in the coming election cycle. I hope that the best people choose to run and the voting public encourages leaders to step forward.

While the work of creating a vital local community is not over, I feel that I have done what I came to do in local government – change the conversation and introduce a new approach, engage and encourage citizen leaders, and work to “plug the economic leaks” in our economy, starting with energy use.  

I’m proud that this board has adopted a general plan of land use, preserved Mt. Konocti for future generations, invested in 3.2 megawatts of solar energy and hundreds of kilowatts in energy efficiency, brought higher education to our community and kept a balanced county budget during the most difficult economy in our lifetime.   

I will never stop working on my vision and dream for our community (you can access this vision at http://www.deniserushing.net/vision ). Beginning in 2015, it is my intention to serve the community by doing what I do best – creating jobs as an entrepreneur and helping local entrepreneurs create and grow environmentally and socially responsible businesses.

I will continue to work hard in my remaining term of office for the citizens of Lake County and intend to focus my remaining time in office on the economy, the lake and associated environmental issues, and the business of managing county government through lean economic times.  

…The wide universe is the ocean I travel,
And the Earth is my blue boat home.

Denise Rushing has been empowering organizational and cultural transformation for more than 30 years as an author, environmental engineer, entrepreneur, elected official and ecological designer. She lives in Upper Lake, Calif. Visit her on the Web at www.DeniseRushing.net .

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Written by: Kathy Windrem and Mike Adams

Published: 31 January 2013

How important are the arts to a community? The arts surround us every day in ways we may not realize; the design of our cars, the organization of our community and the style of the buildings we build.

The arts are reflected in the style of our dress, which reflects our own artistic expression of self. The arts are reflected in the movies we attend, the books we read, and the music we enjoy. The arts are the conduit by which our more inner and personal selves are expressed.

When we admire the artwork at the Lake County Arts Council’s First Friday Fling, enjoy a poem at a writers’ workshop, appreciate a quilt made by our ancestors, mother or a friend, or when we watch dancers at the Soper-Reese Theatre, we experience the arts at a personal level.  

The arts express the personal artistic side in all of us, bringing us together through their various mediums.

The significance of the arts to a community and to the individual cannot be underestimated. Without art, a community – and individuals – cannot thrive.  

When a community comes together to celebrate the arts, the flood of negative information from world conflicts, personal tragedy or political discourse may be seen in a different perspective.

The arts play an important role in the development of our young.  Whether learning to create art, appreciate art, or studying art forms, their lives are enriched and their communities benefit.  

In our Lake County schools the arts are integral to children’s development. Music, dramatic and literary exposure help them to grow and develop into interesting adults.

Coming events at the Soper-Reese:

• New Vintage Productions’ presentation of “Night at the Speak Easy,” Saturday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
• Second Tuesday Classic Movies presents “Pillow Talk,” Tuesday, Feb. 12. Matinée, 1 p.m.; evening showing, 6 p.m.
• Third Friday Live presents “Blue Collar” Friday, Feb. 15, and “The Funky Dozen” on Friday, March 15, 7 p.m. both nights.
• The Lake County Arts Council annual Winter Music Fest on Saturday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m.
• Lake County Live, live onstage radio broadcast on KPFZ 88.1 FM, Sunday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m.
• Professional Pianists’ Concert, benefit for the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m. Featuring: Elena Casanova, Tom Ganoung, Tom Aiken, David Neft, Elizabeth MacDougal and Spencer Brewer.
• Bob Culbertson, “Celtic Waters” CD release, featuring special guests, Saturday, March 16, 7 p.m.

Finally, the Soper-Reese Community Theatre had the honor of hosting a celebration of 30 years of Bill Noteman and the Rockets.

Out of retirement for this event, Bill and the Rockets rocked the house, reminding us of the importance of the arts and relationships in a community.

Congratulations Bill, and thank you for enriching our community. We look forward to a return performance in January 2014, since we have now dubbed January “Bill Noteman and the Rockets Month” at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre.

Tickets for events are available at The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The theater box office is always open 2 hours before show time on the day of any event, and will be open again on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., starting on June 22. Tickets also can be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

For all the latest in information, tickets and more go to www.soperreesetheatre.com , and we’ll see you at the theater.

Kathy Windrem and Mike Adams are part of the large volunteer group that run the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport, Calif.

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Written by: Philip Murphy

Published: 28 January 2013

Through the trees and broken clouds I could see the stars twinkling brightly against the black November sky, and thought to myself, “How beautiful, this is the last thing I will ever see.”

I was slipping into unconsciousness as I made this somewhat peculiar observation, lying flat on my back on the driveway in front of my house, clad in only my underwear.

This unplanned predicament came as the result of my neighbor going on a meth and booze binge of epic enough proportions that, unbeknownst to us, his wife had left him earlier in the evening, and with my spouse and I being the next closest people to share his displeasure with he did just that – by bombarding our home deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains with rocks at 3:30 in the morning.

Though I wasn’t looking for a fight when I confronted him I wasn’t ruling out kicking some ass if I had to, as I had fought him once before and quickly subdued him even though he had the size and weight advantage.

He was shouting all sorts of bizarre things and was obviously drug-impaired, and it alarmed me that his wife hadn’t come out to quiet him down, as I knew this was a very bad sign and feared for her safety.

When our yelling match took an ugly turn I soon realized my cocky assumptions were no longer valid, as this time my opponent had strength that was unimaginable, and the fight was going badly fast.

I had been in probably more than my share of brawls but this one was different, it quickly became clear to me that this wasn’t someone just trying to teach me a lesson – this was serious.

I had known this man for well over a decade and we had been friends, but this wasn’t the neighbor I knew, it was a raging madman with superhuman strength of a kind I had never encountered before-or since.

The beating intensified, and I was tossed like a rag doll first against a car and then to the ground, where the back of my neck came down on the edge of the pavement.

The thought of killing another human being never had crossed my mind before, but I now came to the terrible conclusion that my only chance was to try with every ounce of strength I had to kill this man.

But it was no use, it seemed like five men against one and it was then, with him sitting on my chest beating my face to a pulp, that I realized I was done.

Suddenly my assailant leaned back and his eyes rolled-up in his head, and out of the corner of my eye I could see my wife holding something and hear her screaming at him, then just as suddenly they were both gone.

As my head began to clear I slowly rolled on my side and drug myself into the bushes next to the house, the only thing I knew at that point was I couldn’t take any more fighting.

The next sounds I heard were those of furniture being smashed, and my thoughts were instantly focused on whether or not my wife had retreated back inside the house. The destruction continued for another minute or so until I heard a sort of cracking noise – then it was suddenly dead quiet again.

After a minute, I managed to get myself upright and hobble to the front door and looked in to see the entire living room trashed, but to my great relief my wife emerged from the bedroom, and though terrified and shaking she was intact except for a nasty gash to her hand.

On the other hand I had not fared nearly so well, as I realized when the volunteer fire department I belonged to showed up a few minutes later.

It was a considerable shock to me when the friends I had lived next to and worked with for years with walked up to me and asked me who I was, it was only then that I realized how bad I looked.

When I checked a mirror to confirm my suspicions my first thought was, “WHERE THE HELL IS MY MUSTACHE?,” as the area between my eyes and mouth was nothing but ripped meat, my upper lip was in shreds.

The list of damage I had suffered was long, virtually every inch of my entire body was bruised, scraped or bleeding. All of my lower front teeth were damaged, all of my upper front teeth were gone, my nose was badly broken, my hip bone was visible through a hole in my side, and later I found out the terrible pain in my neck was because my fifth cervical vertebrae was broken clean in two.

That was over 25 years ago but the reminders are still there every time I look in the mirror – the bent nose, the different shaped nostrils, the chipped teeth and the faint series of diagonal scars between my mouth and nose. I have limited ability to turn my head, the vertebrae is still broken and sometimes my neck makes awful sounds when I move it.

Our attacker was never punished. He was involved in a solo vehicle drunk driving crash two weeks before his trial and eventually died of his injuries, meaning no restitution was ever paid.

It turned out the object my wife had struck him with was, of all things, a waffle maker, her gash to the hand was from smacking him in the head with it.

But the waffle maker was not enough to permanently deter him, as the cracking sound I had heard was that of my pistol being fired inside the house, after which he beat a hasty retreat.

My four-and-a-half month pregnant wife had once again saved the day when she fired a warning shot in the general direction of the intruder, it was the only thing that could have possibly ended the attack and it’s quite possible that three people’s lives were saved by that one gunshot.

I don’t want to live in an armed camp where everyone walks around with guns strapped to them, but do get rather annoyed with people who think we’d all be safer with no guns in civilian hands, as with me it’s not a hypothetical question.

It’s also annoying and saddening to see a quarter century later right here in Lake County meth is still doing tremendous damage, with a whole new generation of young soon-to-be-old faces on the booking sheets at the county jail.

This is why I love guns and hate meth, and always will.

Philip Murphy lives in Finley, Calif.