Yesterday, the FlashReport awarded its 2006 Golden Trash Can Award to Assembly Bill 523 which represents an outrageous effort by the Coastline Community College District in Orange County to make a de facto gift of nearly $20 million in public funds to finance a bid by KOCE television’s Foundation to buy the public broadcast station, which is being sold by the college district to generate funds. I won’t go over all of the details again, but I will encourage FR readers to read the piece. Since writing iy, I have not been provided with the actual Appellate Court rulings which are very clear when you read them. Presiding Justice Sills, who penned the opinion for the court, voids the sale of KOCE to the KOCE Foundation — the bit provided by the Foundation was for much less money than the other bidder, televangelism provider Daystar.… Read More

The President of the KOCE Foundation, Dr. Jo Ellen Allen, has taken the time to pen a rebuttal to my commentary from yesterday. She takes umbrage at what she feels was a factually misleading piece penned by me.

I will let you read Jo Allen’s piece (click the attachment below) for yourself, but apparenlty we are going to be doing a he-said, she-said on some of the most basic facts in this case.

I will restate that despite what Allen says:

Daystar was and is willing to pay considerably more for KOCE than the Foundation is prepared to pay – to the tune of millions and millions of dollars; and, Daystar’s offer was in CASH, not a complex web of financing with a few million down, the rest to follow after five years, and, oh yes, a sweetheart deal with a zero percent interest rate!

I will make my point succinctly — government, whether at the federal, state or local level, should not be in the business of televison. Government shouldn’t be producing television programming, nor should tax dollars be taken from one person to provide entertainment for… Read More

In light of recent Hezbollah attacks on Israel, Arnold Schwarzenegger recently sat down with representatives of the Jewish community to express his sympathy and his support.

After this meeting, an Islamic extremist by the name of Shakeel Syed complained that the Governor should also mee with him.

Governor Schwarzenegger was absolutely right to decline a meeting with Shakeel Syed.

Syed is the executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, and he demanded to meet with the Governor, then when he didn’t get an immediate response took his complaint to the media. He threatened that there would be "political" consequences if he didn’t get an audience with the Governor.

I can think of a few good reasons why Governor Schwarzenegger should never honor Syed by meeting with him.

Syed was quoted in a story in the LA Times earlier this month referring to Hezbollah as the "militia of Lebanon." Untrue. Hezbollah is a terrorist group, plain and simple. Let’s not forget that Hezbollah was responsible for the deaths of 241 American service members in 1983. It’s disturbing that as a … Read More

Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you don’t.

I heard from Chris Anderson, the CEO over at the Orange County Register.

The last line of his note to me more or less summed up his take on those parts of my column yesterday that referenced the Orange County Register and Freedom Communications: "So basically you didn’t get anything right except the spelling of the editorial staff’s names."

This was in reference to my pointed comments about how the Orange County Register has been silent on the issue of the KOCE sale.

He pointed out that their paper has, in fact, covered the sale, and that there is no deal as of yet with KOCE to lease them space, due to the fact that KOCE’s status is in limbo, but that if they were to come over, they would be charged below-market rates. Anderson told me that, in fact, the space is not currently sitting vacant, but is being used. Lastly, Anderson said that he has never given any direction to the Editorial Staff to not write on this issue.

So,… Read More

Earlier this afternoon, I half-jokingly put up a photo of Orange County Register senior editorial writer Steve Greenhut, challening him (and the Register) to write on the attrocious attempt by the Coast Community College District and the KOCE Foundation to change state law to allow the District to sell KOCE Television to the KOCE Foundation for less than fair market value (creating a de facto multi-million dollar gift of taxpayer dollars to the Foundation).

Steve Greenhut, ladies and gentlemen, has risen to the challenge (click here for his whole piece).

Over on the Register website, on the O.C. Punch Editorial Blogpage, Greenhut pens a piece where he starts by saying:

‘"Earlier this year, our Editorial Page Editor Cathy Taylor recused the department … Read More

Gilliard, Blanning, Wysocki & Associates ent out this e-mail this monring to California slate mail consultants:

Dear slate vendors,

It has come to our attention that the consultant for the NO on Prop90 campaign is attempting to interfere with slate contracts we have secured on behalf of YES on Prop 90. They reportedly have asked slate vendors to refund our deposits, questioned our intention to pay balances and linked their NO on 90 efforts to those on behalf of another initiative campaign they represent.

Their unethical actions, if they continue, will result in legal action on our behalf. … Read More

Referencing Nicholas Romero’s great post below, I am personally glad to know that my own assemblymember did not sign on to the Save Pluto bandrocket (same guy that refused to co-author a reso for Bob Dylan’s birthday a few years ago…yes, there is a connection, if you grasp at straws).

To be sure, those that did join this noble cause du-jour likely believe themselves to be "tradtional," in the sense that they grew up with planet Pluto in their science books, so what was good for them should be sacred for our kids. We’d hate for our children to be led astray by some "Anti-Pluto Agenda" in the schools, in which a lack of traditional planet values forces them into a life of universal unrest.

Or, on the other hand, if you read the Pluto reso, you may see that it is written with the same mockery of those who would be "psychologically" impacted or offended by having to drive by a latin cross everyday.

Yes, fortunately, it is the other hand….this is a joke, a nuanced jab at the Dems.

Be that as it may, if you really want to… Read More

Check out this SF Chronicle article on Park Day School, a private school here in Oakland. They are changing school procedures to cater more to “gender-fluid” kids. These are kids who want to act and/or dress as if they were the opposite sex. After hiring a consultant to help them cater to these children’s needs, Park Day is not asking the kids to line up in boys and girls lines anymore, they allow kids to play either gender in class skits and they have a unisex bathroom.

Educators, counselors and some parents point to society as the reason that these children feel that they are abnormal. The… Read More