May 4, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

Temecula, CA – It would seem from the news I read on the MPP website that Rob and the gang are smoking a different ‘wacky tobaccy’ than is smoked here in the fast sticks where ‘Bubble Kush’ and ‘Purple Haze’ are more the norm. I say that because a while back the website posted a victory banner about medical marijuana the way George W. posted his ‘victory’ banner on the aircraft carrier (see MPP’s 3/24/09 newsletter). Though there was a moment when it seemed a ray of sunlit intelligence poured through the clouds of ignorance, that’s all it was, a moment. So here’s what’s been happening that you may not have been aware of. I think you may remember that I left off with Marty Victor being arrested, his plants seized, and his collective, made up of patients, including his mother and his wife who live on the property, closed down. Marty’s arrest was to put pressure on Lanny Swerdlow, who himself had been arrested as he tried to stay at a public meeting of some anti-medical pot grant sponsored group run by an ex-cop, or something to that effect (see archives). Lanny’s case was thrown our when it finally went to court a year later but I hadn’t heard what happened to Marty’s. Well, Dear Reader, here’s the rest of the story. Forget Swine Flu, here’s the latest outbreak of ‘reefer madness’.‘After eight months of indecision and grandstanding, the Riverside County DA’s office has filed charges against Marty Victor for operating his small 10 member collective. The charges came not much more than 30 days after Marty and seven other members of the collective filed a tort claim against the city of Temecula and Riverside County for destruction of their medical marijuana crop and for all the other illegal activities they conducted on the day of the raid. There is no doubt that the charges against Marty were filed in retaliation for the filing of the tort claim. This is SOP for the Riverside County DA’s office as they did the same thing to Gary Silva after he filed charges against Riverside County for the injuries he received during the raid at his home. Marty has been in contact with his attorney, Zenia Gillig, who has won two recent high profile Inland Empire cases and will be defending him beginning at his arraignment scheduled for Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 a.m. (yes - that’s right 7:30 a.m.) at the SW Justice Center, 30755-D, Auld Road, Murrieta, Ca. 92563.’


‘Cathedral City jumps on the ban bandwagon. At the Study Session held by the Cathedral City Council on Wed. April 22, the Council voted 3-2 to instruct their staff to prepare an ordinance to ban medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives. Claiming that allowing patients to have safe and reliable local access to medicinal marijuana ‘will cause children to become drug addicts, neighborhoods to deteriorate, businesses to flee and an increase in crime sure to overwhelm the Cathedral City police department*, Mayor DeRosa and Council members Vasquez and England decided that it would be in the best interest of Cathedral City if their residents went to Palm Springs to purchase their medicinal marijuana¹. (Ed. Note: *- this is the same, word-for-word, argument used for racial segregation of neighborhoods. ¹- The additional gasoline, pollution, time, and suffering of a patient is in the best interest of CC? Maybe if you think like the people of Sodom.) This course of action is not totally without merit as it will provide Palm Springs with additional tax revenues and at the same time benefit black market criminals selling marijuana in Cathedral City as they will not have the competition from regulated and licensed collectives.’

‘The more rational and compassionate position taken by Council members Pettis and Marchand to allow for regulated collectives similar to the recently enacted Palm Springs ordinance was met with contempt and derisive rhetoric from ban supporters Vasquez and England. Resorting to personal attacks and outright fabrications, these two council members were beyond belief. I have witnessed many councils debating bans and moratoriums, but I cannot remember ever hearing such reefer madness denunciations, vicious name calling and theatrical finger pointing. Take a look at http://cathedralcity.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=515  for this incredible display of chest beating and foot stomping. Having supported the threat of impending doom if collectives were allowed to operate, I would imagine that City Attorney Charles Green will prepare the ban with all due haste and diligence so that the mythological disastrous consequences associated with allowing patients to have local access to medicinal marijuana will not come to pass. The City Council will still have to vote one more time to enact the ban. I will let you know when that is. I intend to be there to try one more time to preach compassion and common sense even though I am fully aware that I am talking to a brick wall – well a 60% brick wall anyway.’

‘Beaumont beats CC by one day in ban practice by sounding equally sour note to patients. The evening before Cathedral City’s council vote to prepare a ban, the city of Beaumont in the Pass area voted to support an outright ban. Citing all the usual claptrap about federal preemption and increased crime, the council voted 4-1 in favor of a ban but without the invective and malicious rhetoric that characterized the vote by the Cathedral City Council the following night. Not surprisingly, the council’s only woman member, Nancy Gall, was the only voice in support of state law compassionately stating “I have a problem prohibiting something that I know some of our residents need.” Noting that a close friend’s wife had recently died of cancer, Mayor Jeff Fox said that she had wasted away to 90 pounds but after she started using cannabis, she gained 25 pounds. He then voted to ban dispensaries.’ - Now if that’s not a case of ‘reefer madness’, I’ll kiss your grits. BTW, Chick’s Sporting Goods Company has been bought out by Dick’s Sporting Goods Company here in Murrieta, hence the main title, which I just couldn’t pass up. Would you?! (Source: MAPP)

Posted in Sports, Drugs, Inland Empire, Riverside County, Dumb, Palm Desert, Crime, Our Favorite Things, Politics, Temecula, Murrieta, News | Print | No Comments »

April 27, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

EVEN AS A CRIME VICTIM, BIPSY CONTINUES TO LEAVE AN IMPRESSION

Temecula, CA – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week kicked off today here in Riverside County, and the day was marked by a candlelight observance in the amphitheatre section of the T-Town Community Recreation Center or CRC. It was the third consecutive candlelight vigil to be held at the CRC, normally a place I go to for music shows and home again to this year’s Temecula Music Fest happening on May 15-17. Although there was some music tonight, it was on a more somber note than I’m accustomed to. The one song done for the occasion, ‘A Candle Lit For You’, was written and sung by Victim Services Advocate Rachel Mendivel (also acoustic guitar), with Anna Egenes (backing vocals, National Anthem), Mike Finn (lead, electric guitar), and Jerri McIlhagga (keyboards). Recognizing the devastating impact of violence on individuals, communities, and our nation, the Riverside County District Attorney’s office orchestrates this event to acknowledge all the current year’s victims collectively in an effort to help assuage the sorrow of the affected families. Though it would seem that many of the victims were caused by car accidents, such as drunk driver fatalities, Elizabeth ‘Bipsy’ Amirian made the mostly 2008 list through deadly domestic violence a day after the annual S.A.F.E. presentation of The Vagina Monologues, a play staged to bring attention to the abuse of women around the world. For any other person this might seem like an odd coincidence, but though God hasn’t passed any special notes to me on why this tragedy took place on one so talented, as I’ve followed this story from the start, and for the readers who have followed this unfolding saga here in my reports for the Review, I’ve tried to show that this event has God’s fingerprints all over it, in a ‘God can use Evil for Good’ kind of way. So tonight I waited to see His hand again.


Before the program started I had a chance to talk to VSA Diane, a petite ‘Mighty Mouse’ of a woman who has been ‘a rock’ and counsel to Cheryl and Mike Plato, Bipsy’s parents. She had heard the early rumors of the Bipsy Fest being done on April 25^th (the show is happening on May 8^th, 1-10PM, Life Church, Murrieta), so I was glad to give her the update. The program started with Riverside District Attorney Rod Pacheco issuing a ‘welcome’ after the Hemet Valley High School presented the ‘Colors’. Then after Murrieta Fire Chief Paul Christman delivered the invocation and Amber Heidrich told of losing her niece to a drunk driver, showing that it is still painful for her to talk of that fatality, some of the area’s elected officials read the other names, as we all turned our electric candles on, of the 2008 list, with Bipsy being the second name. For me, Bipsy’s name being number two was a ‘fingerprint’ for me. It did surprise me that almost a half of the names read died before the age of 21, with the youngest being only 58 days old. The circumstances behind each name being there was not put forth but what I read recently about no one listed in America as ‘died from old age’ after 1951 (source MSN) gained merit. After the closing remarks, I got to talking to Deputy DA Tim Cross about Bipsy and how her abrupt end affected all of us in the scene to lose such a friend and talent. Tim said that there were people working in his office that had gotten a copy of Bipsy’s CD. When I asked him what they thought of it, he said they all said the CD was very good indeed. As in life, Bipsy continues to impress those who hear her artistry. All the other victims leave only memories and still photographs. I guess that’s the difference that keeps me on the road to the Bipsy Fest. Other candlelight vigils are Palm Desert, Civic Park 4/28, and Riverside 4/29 downtown at the Historical courthouse. All start at 7PM. For further info on all events, call 951.955.9888 or go to www.rivcoda.org/VS/rightsweek.html.

Posted in Palm Desert, Riverside, Riverside County, United States of America, Crime, Family Attractions, Temecula, News | Print | No Comments »

April 4, 2009 by PT Rothschild.

PRINT MAGS REVEAL HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES

West Hollywood, CA – Traveling to see a show in Hollywood on a Friday night is just too big for one story. I couldn’t do it if I saw the show in New York’s Times Square either. Some places are just too big for their tight-ass britches, and Hollywood, and especially West Hollywood, in this story, is one of those places. If you kept up with Johnny Carson back in the old days, or the Tonight Show down through the years, you have heard the nuances made to West Hollywood, as being a huge central district for gays. Well, after walking down the street and seeing the stars of Chuck Norris (see, Chuck Norris to run for President, past post), The Simpsons, Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney, and a host of other names I’m sure you would recognize, my ride and I cruised off into the night after the Inverse show at The Knitting Factory (see separate story post on that). Usually I like to pick up any and all free newspapers/magazines to keep up with the underground skinny. As TKF is in a rather upscale city mini-mall, there was no clutter of free vending racks anywhere in sight. After we got into the car, it was time to ride around a bit, so after tooling around on Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd, we stopped at a bank of magazine racks.


I jumped out and stared gawked eyed, at rack after rack of gay magazines, many of which featured very handsome young tanned white men, looking mostly like the models you see selling guy equipment or toothpaste, snuggled up to each other like Harry and Sally. Glancing quickly past the ‘just for boys’ photo pin-up issues I settled on an issue of Compete, a slick mag which features a brassy blond sk8r girl with roller derby style skates on its cover. I also grabbed a copy of LA Weekly and The Jewish Journal. Reading inside the mag later when I got up, I found it to be the first gay sports magazine of its kind. The roller derby article was inside titled, ‘A horny lesbian goes to the Roller Derby.’ The magazine is interesting reading because it presents things entirely from a gay person’s POV. I found that interesting in that everything is so heterosexual, like the world being right-handed and you are suddenly hearing what left-handed people had to say about stuff, especially since gay people are mostly either left out or hidden in ‘normal’ everyday ‘main street’ situations. Reading this mag also made me realize how outstanding Iowa’s Supreme Court was in striking down its gay marriage ban. Except for its gay content, this mag could be Ebony in the way they highlight various successful gay men (mostly) in various occupations and pursuits, including all the cowpokes who horse around through homorodeo.com, which has over 3000 ‘marlboro men’. Talk about your singing cowboys in chaps. There are even upcoming events, both social and sporting, that cater just to gay oriented people, like some events are just black oriented as presented in Ebony. There is one difference though. Instead of being shown a tin of palm aid to straighten your hair on the last page, on the back inside cover of Compete, this month anyway, is a striking pose of a muscled six-pack guy that would have Sarah Palin reaching for her battery powered toy, or fantasying the next time she’s with ‘First Dude’, and of course, delight most gay guys who get past the mag’s timely articles. America is truly a social experiment masquerading as a country. Bless us in the freedom we still have, Waylon Smithers.

Posted in Palm Desert, Travel, United States of America, InViews, Commentary, News | Print | No Comments »

March 26, 2009 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

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Washington DC - Indeed it is true, President Obama will be online this morning answering question during an online town hall style meeting. This continues President Obama’s path of using new technology to engage Americans that other Presidents have forgot - the tech nerd. Good job Mr President!

Be a part of the online town hall meeting here - http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/

The event starts at 1130am eastern time - that is 830am in LA for the people reading who don’t want to do the math.

***UPDATE***
The questions were brought up by the public and then voted on by the public. The president totally dodged one of the most popular questions - should we legalize marijuana and tax it to help balance the budget and redirect police resources to more awful crimes? He laughed it off and plainly said no. With the millions of Americans smoking pot, and millions of dollars spent every day on pot, and it not being taxed, what do you think? Sounds like big money in the bank for a cash strapped State of California.

Posted in Hiking, Idyllwild, Cars, Theater, Racism, Upland, Romoland, San Jacinto, Muslim Affairs, Arizona, Jewish, Christianity, Drugs, Hemet, Sports, Full Value TV, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Blythe, Old Town Temecula, Movies, Inland Empire, Fire, Anza, Riverside, Winchester, Liberty Quarry, Nebraska, Fallbrook, Illinois, Politics, Burning Man, Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Our Favorite Things, Family Attractions, Film, Music, Commentary, Hotels, Food, Menifee, Denver, United States of America, San Diego, Moreno Valley, Perris, Casino, Palm Desert, San Bernadino, Las Vegas, Crime, Computers, Kansas, Homeland, Schools, News | Print | No Comments »

March 24, 2009 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

Temecula, California - If your new to the valley, you very well might have bought a home that was a foreclosure. Chances are that if you did buy a foreclosure home that it was not in perfect shape and needs a bit of work. Well I am introducing you to Temecula’s finest handyman service - Brian Bramley’s All American Handyman.


Brian has about 20 years of experience, and can fix just about anything in your home. If you have any questions, the great thing about him is he actually answers the phone himself! No answering service, this is the man himself. If something is broke - he will fix it. Call him for a free estimate at 951-973-2104 and be sure to check out his brand new Full Value designed website at http://www.MyAllAmericanHandyman.com.

Posted in Idyllwild, Riverside, Romoland, San Jacinto, Fallbrook, Anza, Winchester, Old Town Temecula, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Inland Empire, Palm Desert, Perris, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta, Computers, Homeland, Moreno Valley, United States of America, San Diego, San Bernadino, Temecula | Print | No Comments »