NOW THAT HEF'S DEAD...

revenge of the fantasized

    Sexual socio-politics is certainly at a disruptive distance from the imaginings and slick fantasies of Hugh Hefner. This passage of "revelation and reckoning" is on our thanksgiving list, like cranberries-bitter sweet and essential.

     As tough as it is for women to unearth moments of victimhood, it contributes to the good for everyone. Healing, we hope.

     Men are telling other men to inventory their own actions. We are stunned by the list of those who have fallen. For the present this is a type of national catharsis, and it is a time to be careful.

     Thought and deliberation are necessary. I think most of the fallen have personality disorders-they are creeps, "perverts" and abusive. Not all of the behavior is similar, though all of it may have been unwanted. Some is disturbed, some is poor judgment and the difference is important. 

      The assaults, physical or emotional are connected to  history and we have allowed it. I recall how a woman colleague at a radio station was subjected to salacious and lascivious comments by another colleague. It happened almost daily. I was embarrassed by it, but I did not write it up or report it. The humor at that time, our company attitude and even public standards reflected an uneven field. Social standards were complicit in abusing and objectifying women, systemically. 

       Careful accounting is important. Rebecca Traister, an author who is also a writer-at-large for New York magazine raises a curious dilemma. She asks how culpable were feminist leaders and other women who "condoned" Bill Clinton's sexual escapades because he supported their agenda?

     We need to recall little boys growing up amidst social cues and norms. The Hefner influence objectified women, sexualized their appearance and body, made a behavioral game of sexuality. That also shaped culture and behavior.

Harvey Weinstein appears to be a lout and a debased egotistical slob, and while it is not a justification he is right in saying the "culture was different." The change happening now is evolution. 

     But this reckoning raises questions. How then does someone  flirt or "come on," seek and pursue a potential romance or love interest? What is an appropriate way to begin? What are acceptable opening lines? 

     Should we no longer complement friends or colleagues on a haircut, style or anything of their appearance?

     How far back do we go to seek an apology, explanation, or justice? Could the zeal or emotion of this social change impact its legitimacy and legacy?

     How do we question the authenticity of an accusation without seeming to further victimize? Are the accused entitled an explanation? Could a comment or action simply have been ill-conceived or a case of misperception? Will we rush to judgment? 
     When does the focus turn to the sitting president, quick to criticize others, but also accused of sexual assault?

     You see how careful we must be. 

     This appears to be a most profound cultural change, an inflection point on social history. Anger alone should not be the architect of what is to follow.

autumn settings on the central coast

vineyards adopting fall color

a house concert

Katherine's sand box. Art by Neal.

a grand entrance

Cayucos night light

Piper Riley Evans-a Scot's salute

Joie and Karen in thought

A birthday petite four 

       These old boys have seen many changes on their watch.
More are on the horizon.

       Welcome to the season. Thanks for your readership.

      See you down the trail.

SHAKING GROUND

converging forces

     Fault lines and fissures are cracking social and political order with a force that will leave everything changed

     At ground zero are sexual politics, power, international order and reality.

the lunacy of one

    The US was booed, jeered and delegates walked out when trump's representative spoke to the World Climate Change Conference in Bonn.

      This administration was there to tout coal and nuclear energy. Defending fossil fuels earned the scorn of most of the 200 nations attending. The US is the only nation on the planet to exit the Paris Climate Agreement.

      Can anyone with common sense not see as ludicrous the nature of being the only nation not to understand the imperatives of climate change? It is ignominy, but inevitable when a man of such "intellect" occupies the White House.

the webs we weave

an orb spider taking care of business

 a characteristic of the orb spider is to rebuild the web each day...we watched this one over the course of a week

and it always had something on the line

men stuck in webs

the left must square their own sexual abuse excuses

      More men in power are falling in disgrace as the seismic force of #metoo revelations bring a scope of accountability to sexual assault and harassment. 

A TECH TITAN

      Steve Jurvetson is stepping down as partner of a powerful Silicon Valley VC firm. After allegations of harassment, Jurvetson exits Draper, Fisher and Jurvetson which he co founded in 1985. They have been a huge player 

in tech. Jurvetson is also leaving the boards of Tesla and Space X.

      The tech industry is ripe with a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. The millionaire boys club culture is getting rocked.

THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE

     California Democrat Senate leader Kevin de Leon will hire an outside firm to investigate a growing list of allegations of a "culture of sexual harassment" in the legislative branch in the state capitol. 

     Traditionally the Senate Rules Committee investigates such allegations. This disrupts California Senate tradition and many read that as a signal of how serious will be the probe.

      De Leon's move has irritated some. He is an insurgent candidate seeking to replace veteran US Senator Diane Feinstein.

SLICK WILLIE FROM PHILANDER

      In fact he is from Arkansas but conscientious Democrats and liberals are actually agreeing with their Republican and conservative counterparts it is time to address Bill Clinton's sexual adventures. One cannot challenge the behavior of a Roy Moore and try to weasel away from Clinton's destructive behavior, even if Clinton's affairs were with consenting adults. 

      Clinton's personal shame and "bimbo eruptions" distracted his administration and many blame it for weakening the party. Al Gore may have had better luck if he didn't have the Clinton shame around his neck. Some will tell you Hillary Clinton may have been a more winning personality if her husband had not been such a sex dog.

     No Bill Clinton is not accused of molesting teens, but his accusers say he was a serial philanderer. Excusing Clinton's behavior may have enabled a culture of harassment where sex, power and manipulation mingled. 

THE MYSTERY OF DONNIE THE LOUT

    I wonder how this time of revelation and falls may affect the serial adulterer and self avowed sexual predator who snuck into the White House. trump had threatened to sue the women who accused him of sexual assault. I wonder if those accusations will come back to center stage. Should they?

the idiot and the bomb

    It is appropriate the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tackles the issue of a President's capacity to singularly initiate a nuclear strike. The question and the protocol is fraught with complexity and nuance, but the probe is certainly appropriate given who this president is. I would never have imagined I'd call the President an ignorant buffoon, but I never imagined this president. 

     These are strange times. 

     See you down the trail.

      

     

      

HONESTY ABOUT SEX

#metoo

another kind of mansplaining

    Sexual politics is shifting and changing the human landscape as undeniably as the Mud Creek landslide has changed the Big Sur coast line.

    It has been healing and cathartic that victims have been able to surface old assaults and unburden themselves. It has also been a time of discussion and soul searching for men.

    A longtime friend and former colleague said it well in a post  that is stacked to the right of this piece. In Bob's You've got a Lot to Learn he offers a candid voice to what should be a growing male chorus. Some of our sex, not all of us, are jerks.
     From what I've read Ratner, Weinstein, Oreskes, Halperin and others are more than jerks, they are losers. Their behavior of assault or unwanted contact, public masturbation and such makes them scum among men. They are the true deplorables.  
     Real men, gentlemen as was once a description, do not force or coerce intimacy nor are they abusers of authority. 
     Full disclosure here; I am a romantic. I have enjoyed the sexual encounters in my life because they have been sensitive, sharing, mutually pleasurable, sensual in the best form of the word, kind, loving, focused and consuming. Sensual intimacy between two people can be as honest and clarifying as any thing we do. 
     My route to such an understanding may not be normal. My father, who was a DI and responsible for turning boys into soldiers also had to teach his charges about the venereal diseases and the sex business that awaited WWII inductees off base or in foreign climes. I got the benefit of that education, including films, as an elementary school lad. It was straightforward. My father also taught me to treat women with respect "especially when things get personal, and they will at your age."
     My hormones switched on like they do when you are a teen, but I knew I probably would not be a good lover (that was an appropriate word in that era) because while I had desire, I had no experience. At the time I was coming of age I worked as a copy boy and stringer for a metropolitan newspaper. The editor made a list of the "play for pay" houses in the city-the red light houses. You may see where this is going.
     My virginity was offered up to a professional who clearly understood my naiveté and innocence. Instead of being an awkward situation she made it a time of understanding, learning and initiation into adulthood. In time I also learned about the path of her life and that of others who found themselves earning a living as they did. That offered another course of learning, helpful to kid who wanted to be a journalist. It was a good course in life 101.
    As my dating years unfolded relationships could develop that hinged on more than sexual ardor. It helped eliminate the objectification of women as dates for sexual conquests. Back in our day, there was a lot of that. Probably still is. When relationships moved to physical intimacy there was mutual respect and sensitivity. 
   We do not all share values and this is indeed a diverse world, but in personal relationships as well as in intimacy, respect is a foundation. 
    I think civilization has done a great disservice to men and women by creating images and expectations, rituals and beliefs, hang ups and games, attitudes and values about sexual relationships. People have been damaged, clearly. And so has that most personal of interactions. People in tender intimacy, physical or emotional, is a beautiful thing. It's a shame it can be messed up. And it seems the biggest jerks are of my sex. Like my friend Bob, I too apologize.

good old times

     If you were around Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach or the LA South Bay area in the mid 70's you may recall Barabas and their lively sound.

     Yes that is David Shelton, Michael David Lassiter and David Root, minus the rhythm section. They were in Cambria for a reunion of old friends that span the decades and the country. Those 3 alone make a wonderful sound. Time has been kind to their talent.

a sign of our times

     Spotted in Morro Bay at the Estero Bay United Methodist Church.
     It is certainly clear the values at work here and that is a transition to King Deplorable.
     For the longest time I have thought donald trump is simply a loud mouth, loutish, ego freak and idiot. I suspect the Russians have him on a hook because he is in debt to them, getting in deeply when American banks cut him off after his many failures-facts that supporters never believed. I've thought it was just about money, which in his world is his idol. However now I'm beginning to wonder if he might not in fact have been in collusion with the Russians.
     trump's comment about American justice being "a joke, a laughing stock" does exactly what the national security and intelligence community have said the Russians want to do and that is undermine American's belief in their systems. Nothing does that more than when the president-illegitimate though he may be, bad mouths our bed rock virtues. It is one thing for citizen Dick or Jane to offer up such invective. It is damned near a crime for the president to say that. stooge, colluder or merely sexual predator who pulled the wool over a lot of eyes, trump is a menace. he belongs on the trash heap of history. If Weinstein, then why not trump?

    See you down the trail. 

           

OUT WEST and HOW WOMEN ARE TREATED

High Sierra range fence on California 245

Delta, framed by nature

Sap-

So where are the yellow bellied sap suckers?

Remember that line from old cowboy movies and shows?

 Out of business and left in a hurry

      Great memories from kid hood are the summers we spent in the Rockies. Now that I'm in a second edition of kid hood, I can't get enough of the Sierra.

       The timeless architecture and vast expanse of the mountains tend to open my mind similarly. 

       

        In earlier life I was on the board of the President Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis. I took pride that Harrison was the President who signed Yosemite National Park into existence. I always reflect on that when wandering the through the Sierras. 

        Cultural norms were vastly different from 1889 to 1893 when Harrison was President, which only underscores the historic and contemporary importance of what he said. 

         This point alone demonstrates how far Republican Presidential values have plummeted under the current occupant.

         Millions of US citizens await the fall of this president who seems to become more atrocious by the hour. The majority of voters did not want him, but there is still the almost unbelievable support of those who voted for him. It is as if there is nothing that will dissuade them.

        I share here a letter I penned to the editor of the local paper. As noted, it seems to encapsulate this matter of trumpistas.

       

       The Letter to the Editor section on Thursday, October 26 (Opera SLO-an accusation and a response) is a perfect capture, in microcosm, of the "roots" of the divide and rancor threatening America today.

       Elise Cassel and Juan Hovey of Santa Maria talked about being "...stunned-appalled" to see a character in Madame Butterfly drag an American flag across the stage floor. 

       The writers then castigated Opera San Luis for a willingness to "exploit" and "make gratuitous and contemporary political statement." That's venomous enough but they said they would end financial support.

         What followed was an eloquent response from Brian Asher Alhadeff of Opera San Luis explaining the scene was part of the story and script dating to 1898 and was how Giacomo Puccini staged it beginning in 1904. 

         It is American to express points of view, but it is intelligent to speak with a sense of knowledge, history, context and understanding. Sadly this is an age when people are full of self righteous indignation and opinions which are not grounded in fact or truth. Still they spew. They even vote motivated by anger and ignorance.

         I hope Mr. Alhadeff's detailed analysis and kind and sympathetic response to those who feel aggrieved may assuage their bitterness and hair trigger response. His letter is an example of how to respond to those who are  judgmental, without knowing of what they speak. 

         Taken in a larger context, that is to include the White House and those who support the present occupant, it is a lesson of how to relate to the self righteous, narrow minded and bigoted who are bereft of intelligence, reasoning, knowledge of history or logic. 

         While the accusations of the writers are symbolic of what is epidemic in the US, being as intolerant in response will not dissuade "true believers." The way out of the deadlock just might be a demonstration of kindness laced with genuine knowledge. 

          I hope the writers will reconsider their support for Opera SLO.

       Well, we can hope, right?

      See you down the trail.

FALL and FALLS AND THE FALLING

under autumn skies

   A first trip to a pumpkin patch

    ...so many choices...

    ...and look where it ends up

the trump dump stumps even chumps

   

   NO COUTH

   The most important thing about the president's conversation with a widow is that she felt "hurt" and worse after the call.

    That is no surprise given the man's lack of couth and compassion, but it is not acceptable in a chief executive and commander in chief.

    All US citizens, especially those who voted for the jerk owe 

the family an apology.

   NO PLAN

   The inept senate and congressional republicans got a kick in the teeth from their president. His tax plan shuts down their  silly and likely to fail plan. Another case of the dumber leading the dumb.

   NO LOYALTY

   The junk yard rat man, formerly the reich minister, aka steve bannon certainly knows how to wins friends eh? Did you see where he wants to purge the republican party and has targeted most members of his nominal party in the senate? Sorry folks, this kind of arrogance and venom looks and smells like reconstituted nazi politics from the early 30's in Germany. Bannon is a dangerous kook. 

#metoo

    It has been an amazing and cathartic process to watch the bodies continue to fall. More sexual predators are being brought low by the current wave of revelation and justice.

      We should remember donald trump has also been accused of sexual assault. What are the odds of seeing the work of justice in this case?

     

all treat, no tricks

time flies so an annual splurge is a joy

harvest season is a time of gratitude 

    Cheers!  See you down the trail.

NUMB

   The Sierras are their domain and they roam as they wish.

    This is a young bear and not fully grown. He or she was rooting for a mid morning snack about 10 foot off the trail.

   We encroach into their wilderness with our cleverness.

   Still nature is the dominant component of the equation.

    Normally good spirited and cheerful, Californians have been understandably heavy hearted the last two weeks.

     The horror and fiery devastation has been cut into our psyche. We all have friends in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and points north or south. We've read the heartbreaking accounts of loss of life and destruction of homes, businesses and life dreams. The loss seems incalculable and personal.

     I was particularly taken by what Thomas Fuller, the San Francisco Bureau chief of the New York Times wrote. 

      

From the NY Times CALIFORNIA TODAY

Thomas Fuller, the San Francisco bureau chief for The New York Times, describes his experience covering the fires in Northern California.

I keep a satellite phone in the trunk of my car, the same one I used to cover disasters and insurgencies in places like Myanmar and Nepal. But I never thought I would need it in Napa Valley, not for a wildfire anyway.

During a week spent covering the fires in Northern California, I fell back on my training as a foreign correspondent: finding the satellite on the smoky horizon, locking in the phone’s antenna and dictating paragraphs to patient editors.

But this was not a foreign land. It was my own country, and the conveniences that we take for granted had collapsed. Traffic lights went black and commerce shut down.

Streets that were normally filled with tourists in the charming towns of wine country were deserted except for crews of exhausted firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and a few reporters. In the evacuation zones, rows of destroyed houses made it feel like a country at war, emptied of its civilian population.

Small fires seemed to pop up everywhere. As I raced down narrow country roads to meet deadlines, I caught glimpses of smoldering embers on tree stumps a few feet away. I felt vulnerable while driving through tunnels of vegetation — it would be easy to be surrounded by fire and trapped.

Everything smelled of smoke: my clothes, my car, my bag, my fingers.

I feel enormously grateful to the dozens of people who took the time to articulate their grieving, some while standing in the rubble of their homes. The fires stripped away their privacy. Their kitchens, their exercise equipment, their hobbies — their lives — were in cinders at our feet.

I think back to meeting Lisa Layman, her azure eyes staring at the ashes of her home at Coffey Park in Santa Rosa. She was recovering from cancer and recently had a kidney removed. The night before, she had escaped with her Bible and a scrapbook of her son’s early years. That is all she had.

It is a reporter’s job to bring empathy to disasters like this. But I wondered how I could ever comprehend the magnitude of her loss.

  There were all too many times when my assignments 

put me at locations of devastation-tornados, floods, fires, explosions, hazardous waste derailing or leaks when I asked myself the same question. This week millions of Californians are mulling such.

#metoo

   I'm not a fan of "piling on" when someone is down, but the #metoo response in the wake of Harvey Weinstein being taken down is healthy. 

    Though sadly delayed, by years, the news finally exposed Weinstein's loutish behavior. His fall from power and influence is stunning and appropriate. We are still waiting for justice for those women who donald trump sexually assaulted. We can hope another fall is in order.

    See you down the trail