A Vet sets us straight on what is really important...

Hi All,

It is a pleasure to see that the end of Vietnam has been remembered.

One would think that our local press would have noticed the same thing – they did not.

I remember a saying that Glenn Freshour used very often – “If you scratch deep enough in 29 Palms you will find Marine green”. How true it is.

Our community is filled with Vets. From every branch of the service.

What even confounds me more is the lack of reporting by our press in regards to our own home grown boys and girls that are off fighting the war.

Joe Vincent’s son, Danny Mintz’s boy, Char Sherwood’s daughter, my own two son’s, as well as the host of others that have served, are serving, and not a word from the Desert Trail* or Z107.7.

My oldest son, Michael, came home this month after a 13 month tour in Afghanistan, his second in 2 years. He has been awarded his second Bronze Star. He has made Staff Sergeant in 4 years. He speaks not of what he has done – even when asked. He simply states that he did and will do what he has to do to those that wish harm to our Country.

Why has not our local press celebrated the accomplishments of our own local young ladies and men?

My own brother died in combat in the Hobo Woods in 1968 and earned the Silver Star for that action aside from a Bronze Star for prior actions. I would gladly give those medals back to have him with me again.

I served my time in the Corps and I’m proud of it. Has our local press ever served a day? I get perplexed at people who brag about their children who are in university or have this great job or another. What is wrong with these people? Do they not see that our Country is at war and it is the duty of their Children to go and fight and serve – or are their children too good to go and fight and perhaps die?

They can take their political, as well as personnal views, about me to the nearest garbage heap – for they have not felt the fear of having a son in harm’s way for a year or more.

I learned today that my other boy – Jay, will be deploying to Iraq in July for a year as part of the 101st Airborne – the Screaming Eagles.

I’m proud of that. I’m proud that I have two boys – no, young men – that have put their lives on the line so that people like the Desert Trail* and Z107.7 can write or talk their erroneous information about me.

I can hold my head high for my family has paid the price for freedom. I wonder about those as you say, that wave the flag, but never paid the price.

Steve Spear

Well Said Steve, and God Speed to your Brave Sons.

*Steve Spear has made a qualified retraction on the Desert Trail. Follow the thread to read.

30 years after

It would have been another relatively uneventful week in local politics if it were not for a weird tirade from the man from Chicopee. Least I digress.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on how it changed my generation. Like a good share of middle class kids during the 60s and 70s I fulfilled my military service. While I have forgiven most of those who spat and threw bags of crap at us as we returned, I will never forget.

The vast majority of those returning from our service quietly rejoined society, raised our families and did what each of us could do to make America a better place. More than likely as in all wars the veterans  live unassuming lives content in the knowledge that when their country called they stood tall with Patriots of generations before them. Military service makes one cherish the Rights enshrined in the Constitutions that we swore to defend.

There are those that have taken years out of their lives to give back to America with service to their country in both war and peace, active, guard or reserve, they earned their right to be heard. Veterans of all wars and times have earned our respect.

Like I said, I forgave but I will never forget. While many of my generation took to the streets in the 60s and 70s demanding an end to the war, the passage of the 24th Amendment and limited government they are now the same people today that represent the new Brown Shirts of Political Correctness.

These free love hippies of old now demand that we all conform to their narrow view of what is right to think and how to live. Pity  the man who fails by their measure to meet their Stepford view of communal conduct.

Its too bad that some of our detractors hide behind their freedoms. A right by the way they never took the oath to defend. While most of us in the Basin have served our Country and defended the Constitution, its always the load mouth slackers who abuse it.

Some of us answered the call and then some others burned their draft cards. These same fellows now wrap themselves in Old Glory and try to pass themselves off as All American Do Gooders. Go figure.

Today let us take a few minutes for somber reflection of our many brothers and sisters who have given their full measure in all wars and pray that our sons and daughters now in harms way will come back to a better reception and country.

Be Part of the Arbitron Ratings

Arbitron radio surveys are conducted over a 12-week period. There are four 12-week surveys per year (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall), totaling 48 weeks of radio measurement. Arbitron audience estimates represent radio listening during an average week of the particular quarterly survey period.

We are in the middle of the Spring 2005 Sweeps (March 31 - June 22).

Have you ever wondered,"How do radio stations decide what to put on the air?" or, "Who do they ask about radio listening? THEY'VE NEVER CALLED ME!" Well, if you're visiting this Web site, then chances are you've finally received the call—or will very soon. This is your chance to be heard! Click here: http://www.arbitronratings.com/

Slow Week

OK HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT! So far this week we have nothing to complain about. I've been out of town, Joey has been wrenching on cars, Ron has been doing his thing, and Holly is recovering from a visit to the doctors. We are working on a few big stories but waiting for the right time to release them.

The new Council is doing a good job. Things are changing for the better. Other than a few changes still on the horizon everything is coming up roses.

Note: This can all change in an instant.

Where was the concern when CS Zones were attacked?

I totally agree that we should fight the chipping away of the General Plan. Those of us holding property and conducting business in the CS zones have been wondering why it has been done to us for years. Where was this concern when many of our businesses were accused of being nuisances soon after a park was established in the middle of our semi-industrial zone.

A few years ago a perfectly good commercial storage building and the surrounding land was converted without Public Hearing into a public park. Maybe it was ok maybe it wasn't, what is done is done. The rub of this is the quality of life and property values were negatively effected on the commercial property around the area. How, you might ask? Once the park was created business activities that were common and accepted were then thought to be a nuisance to the activities of the park. How was this? Well that is where a few individuals who have no property interest in an area, that came in under the banner of "What is good for the Community" and effectively changed the zoning of the whole area. Once valuable commercial property lays dorment.

If folks are "against altering our general plan in a piecemeal manner," where was this concern during the past few years when the CS zone was attacked piecemeal?

Yes we need community activities. Yes community theater is a great idea and it brings the community together for entertainment. But no matter how nobel those goals are they should not have been at the expense of the General Plan and the property interests of those who live and do business within that area. Where was the democratic process?

Originally the CS zone was placed in the more seeder parts of town and allowed by the General Plan to prosper. Without Public Hearing and approved upon a consent calendar (no public discussions) 20 acres of the CS zone was changed to a park. What is done is done.

Park facility users must be good neighbors. At first the Girls & Boys Clubs used the facility and they were good neighbors. Then it was decided to make the building a theater and the infamous troubles began.

The theater group have not been good neighbors. Understandably they wished to attract an audience. It is hard to attract tourists and others to an admittedly rough part of town. They have over the past years used their clout to use the power of government to change the nature of the neighborhood to meet their vision of the future. This would be an admirable goal if they had located their activity in say a regular commercial zone, but to attempt to make a silk purse from a sows ear has financially burdened many and forever caused a distrust in government and special interest.

Many within the commercial and industrial areas of town wonder if this new, "not in my back yard," movement will be as aggressive in protecting enclaves of commercial and industrial zoning as they are to protecting residential, and open space concerns? It is one General Plan. The property interests of one area are of equal importance to another.

Think about it.

Attack of the Fifty-Foot NIMBY's

We found this great dissertation on the Stanford University site. Stanford, unlike Columbia Pacific is Accredited. It is quite long but very enlightening.

The origin of the NIMBY ("not in my back yard") is honorable. People would buy a home, planning to live and raise children in reasonable safety, when some agency of government decides to locate a halfway house or nuclear power plant nearby. When that happens, the homeowners' property value is reduced, so much so that they cannot even get their investment out and relocate to a safer place. Local residents needed to band together to fight the intrusion that would take from their assets and distribute the benefit among large numbers of other people.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Some clever soul figured out that if a small group of people could fight the majority to prevent the small group's assets from being eroded, they could use the same tactics to allow a small group to gain at the expense of the majority. At this point, NIMBY-ism stops being a noble effort and starts being a scam on a par with the guys who transfer fractions of a cent from everybody else's bank accounts into their own, or the recently discovered traders who were making illegal deals with mutual-fund managers to take a dollar or two from every shareholder and putting hundreds of thousands into their own pocket.

http://www-db.stanford.edu/~ullman/pub/nimby.html

Sunwest Development LLC

Ah the weekend..... I had an hour or two on my hands so off I went into the net to do some more searching.

I found their website!! http://www.sunwestdevelopment.com/index.html
Just a second... Don't confuse this Sunwest Development LLC with the Sunwest Development LLC of Utah, Nevada and Arizona their site is http://www.sunwestdev.com/
I sent an email to the Utah group to see if it is them who we speak of. We'll see if the respond or not. UPDATE: got an email back from Utah, simple one line response to if they were who was building in 29 Palms, Answer: "NO."

We I once again put the fingers to the Sec of State site and came up with this record:

LP/LLC
SUNWEST DEVELOPMENT, LLC
Number: 200319710067	Date Filed: 7/15/2003	Status: active
Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA
Address
29371 MODJESKA CANYON ROAD
SILVERADO, CA 92676
Agent for Service of Process
STEVE ENOCHS
29371 MODJESKA CANYON RD
SILVERADO, CA 92676

Beats the heck out of me if this is the guy or not. I am looking into this name too and will try to email him for a response. Who knows this might well end our search, well maybe.