New Year’s Revolutions

Happy New Year fourteen356 “I know what you’re thinking, cause right now I’m thinking the same thing. Why, oh why didn’t I take the blue pill?” 

That was the question Cypher posed to Neo in “The Matrix” when  the latter became aware that human beings were merely batteries plugged into a big hallucination known as reality. Neo just could have swallowed that blue pill, had his memory deleted, and lived out his life in blissful ignorance. I think most of us would like to take that pill from time to time. Many people already have.

It’s nice to shut off the Big Communal Mouth every once in awhile, just for some quiet time. Perhaps it’s a little easier for me because I’m not on Facebook, I don’t Twitter, and I don’t even have a cell phone. The only thing that separates me from a total neanderthal existance is my email and this blog, and for two and a half days I did without my link to the invisible world of the web, my computer. It was like being in one of those sensory deprivation tanks; at first it is peaceful, but then you start to go crazy from the lack of human contact. We are not programmed for solitude.

So after my forty-eight hour vacation, I plugged back into the cyber-switchboard. Not much had changed. The right wingers and left wingers were still lobbing word bombs at each other across the ether. My old friend Jeff Pelline was bemoaning the state of local politics, and continuing his Ahab-like obsession with The Union and it’s former publisher, Jeff Ackerman. Never mind that JA now resides many leagues away in another state; the temptation to harpoon his old adversary is just too much for the scoopster. It’s an itch he cannot scratch.

It’s tempting to indulge Jeff’s dream of a bucolic community, unsullied by partisan politics and controversy. We’re on our way toward that Stepfordesque end. In Nevada City they don’t even bother with elections anymore. It’s difficult to find enough asses to fill those chairs at city hall, much less to field enough candidates to initiate a contest. Full Moon in NC354That might involve actual ideas and campaigning.

And they are doing such a fine job, there’s really no need for change. Just like there’s no need for any help from the Rotary or anyone else to put a decent trail on the slopes of Sugarloaf. Heck, it might put a grant writer out of work.

Then there’s their ability to bob and weave around the homeless issue, or peer under the boardwalk, or haggle  over new layers of bureaucracy in the planning process. Maybe they could have a bake sale to raise money for the courthouse study. Where’s that grant writer?

Jeff is ready to protect us from gun-toting sheriffs who might veer off into constitutional interpretations of what is law. Too bad he hasn’t noticed our state attorney-general, who makes a mockery of the law on a regular basis when writing language for initiatives on the ballot, or choosing which laws are worthy of her support. It’s pretty bad when even the left-leaning Sac Bee and SF Chronicle call you on your bullshit.

But those big city papers are just trying to gin up interest in their dying publications, just like us hicks up here in the boondocks. We write about things that are divisive, just because they actually happen. We’ll get flack for telling the story, or we’ll get flack for “suppressing” the story. We’ll be chastised for spelling and punctuation. (The other night, someone on the History Channel called our mountain range “the Sierras”. I almost puked.)

Yes, if we just had a community where everyone just got along, life would be so much easier. I could just bow to the inevitable dominance of the Democratic majority and do cartoons mocking Big Oil, rich people, and stupid quotes from Republicans. Get with the program and sign up for as many freebies as I can grab before the well runs dry, which may be sooner than we think unless we get some more snow.

I should make a New Year’s resolution to be more compliant, but it probably wouldn’t last for more than a week. I’ll just end up being more cantankerous and obnoxious than ever. Sorry ’bout that.

 

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81 Responses to New Year’s Revolutions

  1. Barry Pruett says:

    Welcome back Crabbman! I pray you have a wonderful New Year.

  2. Cathy Chmel says:

    This column reminded me of your cartoon where you are standing at a crossroads staring at a Yield sign. The caption: “Never!”

  3. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabbman,
    I’m honored that you come out of hiatus and start the New Year with another cartoon and commentary about me. You are going to wind up with as many “Jeff Pelline” references on your blog as Barry Pruett.

    • rlcrabb says:

      Well, Scoopy, I notice you returned the favor in your hit piece on George Boardman. And after all your whining about those pictures of Eric Cartman, I see you are comparing George to a dwarf. How insensitive of you.
      The reason you catch so much flak from us heathens are the double standards you regularly employ in your writing. You moan about devisive politics and then do everything in your power to highlight those differences. You started a fight with the paper and its publisher and then cry foul whenever it comes back at you. You constantly deride local politicians as inept and provincial, but I don’t see you running for office.
      You always throw in some little dig at the Shifters, like they are some covert right wing political cartel. That alone shows me just how ignorant you are when it comes to judging others.
      We here in Nevada County have never been biased against “coast people”, because most of the people we know here came from somewhere else. I am only biased against elitist windbags who stomp into town with a bad attitude. You’ve certainly done your best to fill that role.

      • Bonnie McGuire says:

        Well said Bob, but thanks to Jeff’s comments…I’m looking forward to what George writes. Hope it’ll be interesting.

      • How dare Jeffy besmirch my good name by trying to link me to the Shifters! As I’ve said many times, I’m not now, and never have been, a Shifter. Shifty? Maybe. Shiftless? For sure. But never a Shifter.

        That’s about as accurate as everything else in his hit piece, including the claim that Ackerman and I are friends (believe me: We aren’t.) If The Union’s bringing me on board to placate the “righty’s” they’re making a big mistake.

        Then there’s the mischaracterizations of my blog posts he cites. That has created a spike in traffic to ncroadkill.com, where people are reading twice as many posts as they normally do. I’ll let Jeffy’s regulars decide if the veteran journalist’s description of my work is fair and accurate.

        He apparently couldn’t find anything better to do on New Year’s Eve than rant about me. Brian Hamilton and I didn’t make a deal on the column until the afternoon of the 31st, so Jeffy probably learned the news when he read Brian’s column online that evening. Then he visited my blog, wrote his screed, and posted it before midnight.

        He and the missus should have joined us at the LOP clubhouse, where we danced away the old year to the musical styling of Joe Banana and His Bunch, the band with a peel.

        I’d pay money to see Jeffy dance.

        • Jeff Pelline says:

          Hey George,
          You’re awfully thin skinned for somebody who ridicules other people’s appearances and even their thriving business to score points with your like-minded friends.

          Anybody can read your blog and decide for themselves: ridiculing the sustainable food movement, the transgender community and McClintock’s timber salvage legislation.

          Glad you fessed up to your career as a PR man, not a journalist. Sorry you weren’t honest to confess to the Ackerman “mini me,” though. We both know that you carry his water. It’s a matter of public record on my blog.

          Now that you’re a public figure, we’ll have to drag out the Stonehouse bankruptcy documents and make them public! What a mess that was.

          People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

    • L Todd says:

      Eeeew. Narcissist much?

      • Jeff Pelline says:

        A newspaper publisher who sues a grieving father and then sits on the story for three weeks? Eeew.
        http://sierrafoothillsreport.com/2010/03/05/the-union-publishereditor-sues-local-family-in-tragic-incident/
        A former supervisor who writes this:
        http://sierradragonsbreathe.blogspot.com/2013/12/duck-you-sucka.html Eeew.
        Fortunately, this is not representative of the County or its natives, just a diminishing subset that is “narcissist” enough to think it speaks for such a politically diverse group. I know, it’s hard to let go, but times have changed.

        • rlcrabb says:

          I don’t think too many locals have been influenced by Ackerman’s musings, seeing how he hasn’t lived here for over a year. And Dragonboy would have a difficult time getting elected as dogcatcher these days.
          Nevada County is full of crazy people on all sides of the fence. Just scanning all the blogs and sites on NC Voices, I can find contrarian lesbian survivalists, or any other variation. I can’t imagine how much worse it is on “peep” or any other instant information gratification site.
          The right wingers are definitely the minority here. You got that right. But what is the majority becoming? A state government that is moving to consolidate their hegemony, their candidates and causes funded by public sector unions? You know what they say about total power and corruption. Or maybe you don’t.
          It will be interesting to see what happens when the progressive Pandora’s box is open all the way. What unintended consequences will society incur when marijuana becomes easier to obtain than a pack of gum and the schools offer transgender sports? As his first act, the new progressive mayor of NYC just freed the horses from slavery. Hallelujah!
          We are definitely living in interesting times.

  4. Barry Pruett says:

    Jeff: I pray that you also have a wonderfully Happy New Year!

  5. Jeff Pelline says:

    Barry,
    You should be watching the Rose Parade. It epitomizes “Pasadena values.” Happy New Year!

    • Barry Pruett says:

      I am in the car driving from Chicago to Evansville, Indiana, to visit Kim’s family, otherwise we would be watching the parade as always. We have been to Pasenda a few times, and we like it there quite a bit! I am looking forward to the game tonight. It likely would have been a great game, but with MSU losing their linebacker, I think that Stanford will win. Just glad to see the best teams from the PAC10 and BigTen playing in the Rose Bowl as it always should be…that is certainly “Pasedena Values!”

    • Barry Pruett says:

      I am in the car driving from Chicago to Evansville, Indiana, to visit Kim’s family, otherwise we would be watching the parade as always. We have been to Pasenda a few times, and we like it there quite a bit! I am looking forward to the game tonight. It likely would have been a great game, but with MSU losing their linebacker, I think that Stanford will win. Just glad to see the best teams from the PAC10 and BigTen playing in the Rose Bowl as it always should be…that is certainly “Pasadena Values!”

    • Greg Goodknight says:

      Pasadena values? It’s a parade celebrating the good weather and flowers. Always has been.

      Am I the only one here who has marched in it?

  6. Barry Pruett says:

    Sorry about the spelling errors! Maybe I should proof read before I send from the phone!

  7. San French says:

    Bob~ Congrats on 48 hrs. I too am twitter, FB and cellphone free.
    Of course you know that any sens-deprinaut worth their salt throws down a healthy (?) dose of psychedelics before that lukewarm immersion…but I digress.
    Welcome back to the page and 2014 old bean.

  8. Jeff Pelline says:

    I’ve been to Evansville several times. The daughter of George Craig, an Indiana governor, was the Pacific Southwest Airlines spokeswoman when I covered airlines at The Chronicle in the ’80s. We became good friends. George Craig was one of President Eisenhowser’s favorite young GOPers. Margie, the daughter, had lived in Evansville.
    http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/18/us/george-craig-83-popular-governor-of-indiana-in-50-s.html. One of my journalism professors at Northwestern was Craig Klugman. He was once publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press. He was a stickler for copyediting: “Sierra” vs. “Sierras,” for example. Say hello to Kim for our family.

    • Terry Pittsford says:

      I’m sure we’re all suitably impressed with your name dropping but what’s your point? It certainly has nothing to do with New Year’s resolutions. And besides, who cares?

      • Jeff Pelline says:

        Terry,
        These are my friends. Herb Caen was my friend too, even though George made fun of that on this blog. Sorry to offend you.
        Happy New Year!

        • Terry Pittsford says:

          Dear Jeffy, You’re still off subject. Excuse me while I get my umbrella while you drop more names on us as though any of us care who your friends (real and imagined) may be.

          • Jeff Pelline says:

            Terry,
            If the chip on your shoulder was any larger, you’d topple over sideways, right on top of Chris. Be careful.

      • Chris Peterson says:

        Terry,
        Let’s resolve to allow others their claim to fame, no matter how trivial it may seem to us. Obviously, it’s important to Jeff that we all are reminded, once again, that he worked for the same newspaper as Herb Caen, and that he knew, at least professionally, the daughter of a state governor.

        It does us no damage to allow him that, and if it makes him happy to think we’re impressed, where’s the harm?

        • Terry Pittsford says:

          Chris,
          I narrowly missed running over Ronald Reagan on Sunset Blvd. once but you don’t hear me bragging about it…wait a minute, I just did, didn’t I? Never mind.

  9. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabman,
    Grrr! Happy New Year.

  10. rlcrabb says:

    Jeff must have taken the blue pill today.

  11. Dai Meagher, CPA says:

    Bob, Happy New Year. Hope 2014 delivers all the huckleberry jam (gold) you desire…and that your proposed resolution doesn’t last long 🙂

  12. Judith Lowry says:

    I looked over Bob’s cartoons carefully and I did not see a satirical image of Mr. Pelline.
    I see Bob’s popular “Full Moon” cartoon and an image of a stork delivering the New Year’s Baby via drone.
    When Bob satirizes Jeff he references a “Southpark” type of character.
    Bob knows I don’t care for ad homonym attacks and that I think it’s beneath his talents.

    I think of Bob as a satirical cartoonist and pundit. Jeff Pelline is a newsman. Both of them are very good at what they do and both are seeing big changes in their professions, what with social media and all changing the way we obtain information. Given this reality they could do more to cooperate with each other and set a good example as well.
    Besides, it would have been encouraging to see the lads making nice to each other in this new year.
    Oh well.

  13. Chris Peterson says:

    My mother-in-law is coming to visit today. She’s a woman whose name is known from Mexico to Montana. I resolve, once again, not to drop her name in conversations, nor mention the parade in which my wife and I were “honored” by riding in her car. (To me; it was a very slow ride through a town with my mother-in-law.) Claiming to know someone famous, or heralding one’s being at such an event, is droll and boring, and it should be everyone’s resolution to be as little of that as possible.

    Happiest of new years, Bob.

  14. Barry Pruett says:

    I saw Timothy Geithner during A White House tour one time. Does that count?

    • Chris Peterson says:

      I think you’re OK there, Barry. The resolution only covers trying to impress us with past proximity to social icons, and since I doubt that Geithner ever met Herb Caen; you’re good.

      Now, had you been there in a professional capacity, and had actually spoken with Geithner’s daughter, you’d have something there.

  15. Jeff Pelline says:

    Only if he made eye contact. LOL.

  16. Jeff Pelline says:

    BTW, great football game last night. Kudos to Michigan St.

  17. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabman,
    Get a grip on your own “following”:
    Your friend George Boardman made fun of the “sustainable” movement on his blog, along with real-food author Michael Pollan and organic food. “Organic? Eat a Big Mac and pocket the change,” was one headline.
    You drew this cartoon: http://www.rlcrabb.com/culture-2/u-r-what-u-eat/
    The response:
    george rebane says:
    September 6, 2013 at 4:39 pm
    Excellent!

    The people who comment on your blog said they buy their cheese at COSCO, when they could buy it “on the hill” at specialty stores.

    To each his own; it’s a free country. But, face it, you have a built following on this blog that “shops off the hill” and ridicules the local food movement.

    • rlcrabb says:

      Yeah, it’s difficult being as pure as you, Scoopy. Just wait till they open up a Trader Joe’s in Auburn and watch the defections. (And those who already shop at Costco but won’t admit it.) Is no one allowed to lampoon your PC elitist behavior? Sure would be boring reading your ideal news source.

      • Ryan Mount says:

        You had to invoke Trader Joe’s, didn’t ya? Forget that. Walmart AND Costco* are going in North Auburn. Imagine the exodus then.

        Maybe we could set up a shame forgiveness program: don’t ask, don’t tell, but in case you get caught…

        It’s kinda like when a John Edwards staffer got caught buying a video game system in Walmart? If you’re caught buying cheese from Costco, for example, you can return it with a get out of shame jail pass. Heck, Costco will take it back half eaten I bet.

        Part of the re-education program would be a flyer on where to purchase cheese less than 10 miles from your house (Or Yurt, whatever one is living in.) There could also be guidelines on how to make your own cheese from breast milk for those who want to keep it real.

        * Apparently Christians should be praying for a Sam’s Club: http://reviews.faithdrivenconsumer.org/CompanyReviews/CategoryResults.aspx?id=15

        • Greg Goodknight says:

          Ryan and RL, did Jeff Pelline wholeheartedly support “the local food movement” before he abandoned journalism and started publishing a glossy advertiser for boutique businesses in the foothills?

          My own guilt free out of town shopping was kicked off years ago, a couple weeks after I bought a pricey ladder accessory (safety related) on sale at the local True Value only to see the same thing at the northernmost Auburn hardware store (NOT a big box or discount house) at an everyday price significantly lower than the sale price in Burger Basin.

          • Jeff Pelline says:

            Greg,
            I have always supported “shopping local.” That’s why I moved to the foothills. Driving to Roseville to buy cheese from COSTCO doesn’t sound very smart for a Harvey Mudd College grad. Don’t worry though: It will be our little secret.

  18. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabman,
    “PC elitist behavior.” Open your eyes, sir: However you enjoy ridiculing them, they also are your prospective readers, neighbors and The Union’s customers (where you are on the payroll as a contract worker) — and the numbers are growing, not shrinking. I’m sure we follow the same local election returns and study the voter roles. Truckee, God forbid, is Democrat. Don’t ridicule them, as you do Nevada City. Instead, get The Union to publish your esteemed cartoon in the Sierra Sun, where “PC elitists” grab the publication on a ski vacation. Swap the “Cartman” images for “Snow-man,” a hip, granola-eating, craft-beer drinking, outdoor enthusiast. Heck, wider visibility may even lead to a pay raise. (Or is that merely “greedy Coastal California behavior”?)

    • rlcrabb says:

      It’s obvious that you are not a fan of South Park. I am, and I come from their school of cartooning that eats sacred cows for breakfast. Maybe you should check out my book, Once Upon A Village, for a balanced view of reality. When I published that book (with The Union) I sold four hundred copies to people from every political persuasion. Liberals and conservatives buy my originals and prints, even when they are the target of my brand of humor.
      I don’t suck up to either party, and I am not worried about whether I’m popular with the “In” crowd. I see the cartoons they run in Moonshine Ink, your ideal paper. Nice, cute, and inoffensive. You probably won’t see one where animal rights activists threaten resident’s lives for reporting bad bear behavior. No, that wouldn’t be politically correct and could hurt someone’s feelings. Snow man, indeed.

  19. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabman,
    “Eat sacred cows for breakfast.” Grr! In fact, I think being popular and well liked is actually important to you (particularly with the old-timers, the “shifters” and your other friends), and you would never jeopardize that social status with an unflattering cartoon of a “sacred cow,” which might include some of them. Many journalists suffer from this affliction too: It is common among tech journalists, for example. I can think of many “sacred” subjects in our community that you’ve never touched with a 10-foot pole — and never would. Having said that, I think what people enjoy is a cartoonist who covers the “local” scene with humor. That’s OK; we’re largely a community of retirees, and they eat that up. But we’re changing, and it will be important for the “cartooning” to keep up with that. I think most people think of you as a conservative-minded columnist in what has traditionally been a small, conservative-minded community. But making fun of “PC elitism” (as you call it) is probably wearing thin with more people than you think.

    • Greg Goodknight says:

      If I recall correctly, Pelline once ran a very unflattering but copyrighted Crabtoon of Todd Juvenal as the devil, without permission, on his blog.

      Having just checked the purple catbox, it appears Jeff is close to making more deposits here than all commenters at his own blog combined.

      • rlcrabb says:

        Yes, he did run that cartoon, which I sent out to several people with the understanding it could be shared. But usually people ask me before they run my cartoons for mass public consumption.

  20. Jeff Pelline says:

    I guess we’ll just have to see. I know where my business is going. Good luck with yours. And Happy New Year.

  21. John Dough says:

    JP, most everyone who pays attention knows where your business is going also. If you reach 50%, no, make that 25%, of RL in longevity and popularity, you will have exceeded everyone’s expectations. Happy Hew Year.

  22. Jeff Pelline says:

    “John Dough,”
    Who is “everyone”? How do you measure “popularity”? Please. Anyway, I’m doing great on all fronts. Happy “Hew” Year to you too. LOL.

  23. Jeff Pelline says:

    Crabman,
    “John Dough” and “L Todd”? The sock puppets are subsuming your blog, along with your “shifter” friends (Terry and Greg), your “partisan” political friends (Barry and Bonnie), your out-of-town friends (Chris) and so on. I keep telling you: Cast a wider net, man. It will make you more “popular,” to quote “John Dough.”

    • Barry Pruett says:

      On your blog, you suggested that Reinette Senum would be a better choice than George Boardman. Do you really think that having someone who celebrated the pending death of people worthy of an article in The Union. That is pretty sick.

      “reinette senum, on July 19, 2013 at 6:21 am said:
      This isn’t a political war, it’s a cultural one. It can be seen throughout the entire county. Interestingly enough, one of the fair board members was actually on oxygen while sitting before the crowd — epitomizing that the the old guard is finally dying off. And good riddance.”

      That was Bill Schultz that she was talking about. Wider net? Maybe. Angry liberals? Not so much.

      http://sierrafoothillsreport.com/2014/01/02/public-memorial-for-bill-schultz-at-fairgrounds-on-january-11/

    • rlcrabb says:

      Do tell? Who is “Windy”? L Todd is not an alias. Terry has never been a shifter. Barry is an acquaintance I met during the election. (And yes, we did meet face to face at the now-famous Mine Shaft beer summit years ago.) I have never met Bonnie in person, although someday I would like to. Her parents were legends in this area. John Dough? Yeah, you got me there. The reason he’s made it through moderation is his ability to speak rationally. Greg, as always, is a loose cannon, but I’m working on him. Chris and I have had our ups and downs, but I still consider him a friend. (I should never have forgiven him for talking me into moving to Truckee in what turned out to be the worst decision since the Donner party fiasco, but that’s ancient history now.)
      I could go on with stories about the compliments I receive for the strip, or the people who complain to me about your weird and unhealthy obsession with the paper, but I’m sure you could counter with your own experiences out there in the public arena.
      And for the record, I have been advocating for more input from younger folks in The Union for a while now, although I welcome George Boardman to the shooting gallery as well. The fact that you seem to believe George and I represent conservatism in Nevada County only proves to me that you are much further to the left than you let on. It also explains why George Rebane, an unapologetic right winger, drives you up the wall.

      • Chris Peterson says:

        Truckee was hell, but it would have been worse without you there. (And I’ll be damned if I can remember what evil incantation I used to hornswaggle you into that mess. Money? Drugs? A carefree life in the land of the frozen tundra?)

  24. John Dough says:

    JP, I measure popularity as how many people like and respect you, come to your defense when attacked, and comment on your blog. Since you just listed seven friends of RL in your admonition to him to cast a wider net, and those are seven more than normally comment on your blog, you have illustrated my point nicely. Have a great 2014. JD

  25. Jeff Pelline says:

    “John Dough,”
    You live in a very small world. I’m doing just fine, thank you.

  26. Barry Pruett says:

    You know Jeff, I met Crabman and Michael Anderson in person at the Mineshaft. I invited them to talk and have a drink. In fact I invited you also, but you not so politely declined. Likely it is about that time again. If you would reach out a hand to others instead of throwing lawn darts, I think that could possibly alleviate some of this animosity. Just a thought. I cannot wait to get home by the way. It is -11 here in Chicago today. Looking forward to going golfing at Wildwood tomorrow!

  27. Chris Peterson says:

    I’m having a hard time trying to imagine this whole conversation set in real life:

    A group of friends and acquaintances gathers at Bob’s “house” to celebrate the dawn of a new year and cajole, joke and reminisce at the past shared experiences, when in bounds a jester of self-acclaimed importance, throwing out names of famous, and not so famous, characters, as if anyone in the party would somehow associate him with their stature. Presidents, governors, famous journalists, and the like, are thrown about like rose pedals before his own feet as if, by fiat, it anoints him with the grandeur he self-proclaims to possess.

    When confronted by the crowd as an incredible bore, he chortles that he doesn’t need this kind of abuse, for he has his own party going on just down the street. (Cut to empty house and the sound of crickets.) He says his piece, and departs with his signature, “I showed them” look upon his face, only to return to the party time and again throughout the day and night, obviously ignoring the imagined throng of fans he has left behind at his own party.

    A sad story, to be sure, but one that shows the humanity of the community, and the forbearance of our host, by not slamming the door in his face and turning him out into the cold night of his own solitude, left to mumble to himself the importance of people met and seen in his own weary existence.

    But then; this is the internet, and that makes it all different, right?

    • San French says:

      Chris~ I was waiting for someone to finally put this thread into context and you’ve done it,old bean! Perfecto analogy (‘sound of crickets..’ I love it). What started out as a nice little stroll down 2013’s memory lane got gobsmacked by this partay crasher.
      I guess boys will be….
      Happy New Year to you and yours Chris.

  28. stevefrisch says:

    OMG, just let this thread die! Bob, isn’t it obvious that what you see as an unhealthy obsession Jeff has with the Union mirrors your unhealthy obsession with Jeff?

    I have an idea, lets balance the cantankerous and obnoxious with a little talk about what gives us hope for the New Year.

    I hope Greg finally gets a job and moves to Palo Alto (I am pulling for you buddy).

    I hope Todd gets married again so he can finally live the family values he professes.

    I hope Ben grows the biggest pumpkin in Nevada County history.

    I hope Barry gets the Constitutional Convention he desires and it is a truly democratic process!

    I hope George gets to move to the new Free State of Idaho!

    I hope Russ learns how to measure his Carbon Footprint!

    I hope Bonnie finally gets to walk into a living Norman Rockwell painting!

    I hope Judith’s people finally get gets the recognition her people so richly deserve!

    I hope Jeff learns to bury the hatchet with The Union; it is 150 years old and has probably been about the same since its founding, it is going to outlast you buddy!

    I hope I get to go to “Red China” again to meet my ideological fellow travelers!

    I hope nothing but the best for Michael Anderson, who has been strangely silent lately, and is probably the most reasoned character on these pages.

    I hope George does well at The Union again, I enjoy his blog, and it actually posts about interesting local issues!

    I hope to meet Chris, Ryan, Terry and all the rest one day, perhaps at the Pascual event on Sunday!

    Happy New Year you miserable old house, you are the only one we got!

    • rlcrabb says:

      Perhaps we are being somewhat repetitive, Steve, but it’s the closest thing Jeff and I have had to a civil discourse in years. I welcome the debate. Maybe we can all meet up on Sunday and pelt each other with creme pies. People would pay to see that, and Pascale could hire OJ’s dream team. Everybody wins!

    • Brad Croul says:

      Great post Steve!

    • Greg Goodknight says:

      Why, thank you Steve, but don’t expect me to be moving, especially if I find a position I want in Palo Alto, as it’s only a 45 minute straight line drive from the Grass Valley airport to KPAO. Of course, that could generate as big a carbon footprint as the climate tourists of the Akademik Shokalskiy have racked up after one factors in their rescues.

  29. Jeff Pelline says:

    Wait a minute.
    This isn’t “Bob’s living room”; it is a public blog that focused on me, so I decided to come here and talk about it. Like I said from the start, Bob writes more about “Jeff Pelline” than Barry Preutt.

    The “lawn darts” were being directed thrown at me in the original post, and then, as always, the throwing got nastier because Bob can’t control his “commenters.”
    Sorry you didn’t like the feedback, but “First Amdendment” cuts both ways.
    Barry, I had no desire to have a drink with you, because you ran an ugly campaign against Greg Diaz. Nothing has changed, but I have vowed to be more civil to you in the New Year, because I want to support the rest of your family.
    As for Bob, I defended him when it mattered most. So I can put my head on the pillow when it comes to Bob Crabb.
    I really don’t want to have anything more to do with him, except when he writes about me like he did here, I’ll probably respond. If you don’t like that, then hold the conversation in Bob’s living room.

    • rlcrabb says:

      Okay, we all want the last word, as usual. I’ll let it go, at least until the next round. And sorry to all about the delay in posting comments. Everything is running through moderation for some reason. Ghost in the machine, not my doing.

  30. Bonnie McGuire says:

    Wow! You guys just about wrote the entire story comment by comment completely putting together the problem puzzle.

  31. Jeff Pelline says:

    Hey Crabman,
    I know you want to protect your friend George, but it’s not fair to let him take potshots and then moderate the responses. Is this the oldtimers’ idea of dialogue. Reminds me of the stereotype of visiting a Western town. I thought you were shutting down the thread?

    • rlcrabb says:

      No, Scoopy, I said I was not going to continue to respond to every slur you hurled my way. Since you went to such pains to vilify George here and on your blog, it was only fair to give him equal time. And you have a lot of room to talk about moderating comments. You cut me off your blog the last time I went there to defend myself. So raspberries to you! Or go pound lettuce or something.
      (This has been a fun birthday, but I have to leave for dinner with some of my right wing nazi friends now. WordPress is directing all comments to moderation, so you’ll have to wait until I return to sort them out. Excelsior, my friends!)

  32. Jeff Pelline says:

    Happy Cruising with your friends Crabman! I’ll no doubt be forced to come back again soon.

    • rlcrabb says:

      No you won’t, Jeff. It’s been an interesting run, but I think everyone is tired of our little feud. People who know me (and I mean really know me) know that I don’t make a habit of grudge fights. Oh, I go after politicians and institutions, but nothing as personal as this long-running episode with Pelline.
      Jeff came here with an attitude. Criticism is not a bad thing, and some of his critiques have been right on the mark. Mostly, it’s the way he goes about it. The contempt he displays for anyone who disagrees with him. The way he threw the people who worked for him under the bus after he left The Union. I have no respect for such a person. George Rebane and I are probably farther apart politically than JP and I are, but George has never insulted me or tried to portray me as something I have never been. George and I can be neighbors, even friends, despite our differences. I wouldn’t trust Jeff Pelline as far as I can throw him. Just look how he’s threatened to “expose” the Boardmans. What an asshole.
      So I’m scrubbing all future references to Pelline from any comments from here on. I’ve made my point, and if JP feels the need to respond, he can do it on his own blog. I’m done.

  33. Robert Lovejoy says:

    2013 was a good year. I finally met Mr. Crabb, though he may not know it. We did not exchange words, but it was nice to met the cartoon character in the ole’ flesh and blood.

    2013 was the year I purchased Mr. Crabb’s book and bought his Nevada City tee shirt (in a thrift store). I wear it proudly only on full moons.

    Keep on keeping on RL Crabb. Just passin’ through. Moon equipped.

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