Someone relayed information regarding a near teenager abduction last night, 6/2/2010 on the corner of A Street and River before the bridge at about 8:45pm. The child was approached by an overweight, middle eastern accented male wearing glasses, balding, in a dark colored 4 door car. He asked the boy for directions, then more intimate questions. The suspect exited the car and offered the boy a ride home and "massaged" the boy's shoulders before opening his rear car door to "clear out a space to sit". The boy was able to fight off the man and run to safety. Please remember this story as the boy is okay although very shaken. If anyone hears of a similar story from a child/teen/young adult/ lets compare notes and get this guy off the streets. I've already checked Megan's Law website and was unable to find someone who meets this description in Fillmore or in the neighboring cities. Keep you family safe, don't let them walk alone - ever. Our town may be small, but the 126 is a child molester's smorgasbord.

I was recently reading through the letters section and came across a letter by Marie Wrenn regarding a power grab by Edison and Proposition 16.I think she needs to do her homework a little better.Edison has not now nor has it ever been a part of this proposition.PG&E is the only utility of record involved in the promotion of this Proposition.If you look at the history of the state taking over the electric utilities;you will see that the last time this happened it was a total disaster!Pete Wilson handed over his nightmare to Grey Davis and Davis ended up looking like the buffoon! The state took over the Edison system and told us we could only sell a killowatt hour for a certain price.However it was costing us more to produce power than what we were allowed to sell it for! Not very good business is it? I honestly believe that as we stand now we are doing fine as we are still not as expensive as many other utilities nationwide.I wish that for one minute ;the general public could do what we do and see if they think they could do a better job.We work long hours .During the storms and fires and get little or no recognition .I am just writing this so that people can stop blaming the local utility for something that they have no part in at all.

Martin won't like this http://www.lafn.orglpolitics/gvdc/Natl_Dept_Chart.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/29/michigan-militia-group-preparing-an...

I bet they are all card carrying NRA members too. I hope they all get life sentences.

Okay, fun-lover's, April 1st is coming! Now is the time to plan to "get back" at someone (finally), or put a special person into the fool's category for the rest of the year until next April 1st rolls around. There are enough "fool's" running and scurrying about already among us "saner's", so you can easily spot these people. They don't look like "us".

April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day began in Europe sometime I don't know when; I did not research this at all. I do know that if you sought-out any number of gullible dopes on this day and sent them on a fool's errand, like telling them to get a left-handed wrench, or to put air on the tire, or better yet for dad, to tell him to get 20 packages of hot dog buns on the way home for a surprise party. If you were in France and were victimized on this day, you would be ridiculed as a "poisson d'avril"...or "April Fish". True! In France you are a "fish", not a "fool", but fishes DO have small brain's, don't they?

How many remember in 1996 when Taco Bell announced they were buying the Liberty Bell, and would put it in front of the headquarters, re-naming Taco Bell to "Taco Liberty Bell". This one went on for awhile until Taco Bell quelled the fury in the US. I don't think it did much for sales, however.

In the same respect, on April Fool's day when Clinton was President, someone said in the audience in a press conference, that the Lincoln Memorial was bought by some company. Clinton popped on this real quick-like and said, "Oh yes...it was Ford Motor Company who bought the Lincoln Memorial - the new name will be the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial". Ho-hum!

Or, one can do "ostension". This being fake evidence, like retouched photos of flying UFO's, the Loch Ness Monster and ghosts, like the recent CNN showing of Michael Jackson walking in his bedroom via "transparent shadow" photography. There is also pseudo-ostension and quasi-ostension, but jokes like cattle mutilation's said to be caused by that Mexican killer animal or by space aliens are attributed as a bad April Fool's joke.

So, we have plenty of "fool's" to go around, don't we? But I think most "fool's" will be prepared for their upcoming commemorative day, and one has to be pretty slick to capture that Kodak moment! I'll leave it up to you what you plan next week. Hope it's a good one! ~ J T Jackie King

I just saw an unbelievable web search entry on a thread out of Chicago. The topic was really about ObamaCare, and the Prez was being interviewed.

In the interview he said, in essence, 'in five days, America as we know it to be will be changed from the country as we know it to be forever'. This was in reference to his health care reform bill that is expected to pass very soon. Exactly, what did he mean. His statement could mean many things to many people and was ambiguous.

Just prior to ending the interview, another question was asked, and Obama said, within the content of his answer, 'that after the health care bill is passed, he (I) plan to give amnesty to all illegal immigrants to the US'.

So this is his concept of illegal immigration? This is his answer to fixing this dramatic problem? This is his answer to repairing the devastated infrastructure of US reversal fecundability and strength and the health and welfare and unemployment issue? How does he even program a thought that this amnesty will ever "fix" America, as this is one of the prime-moving problems facing the US already - illegal immigration.

J T Jackie King

There is another upswing in the educational reform in the United states; a process taken straight from the schools now operating in Europe and Asia, where nit-picking educational laws are not very apparent. In principal here is what they are versus each other:

In a competitive drive for federal funding, as long as there IS federal funding available, or a turn-into practice of using private corporate funding, a new school system is on the horizon; it being the "Innovative School" and it competes head-to-head with the Charter School system.

Innovative Schools are autonomous from public schools and is said to hold more flexibility for federal funding, curriculum, scheduling and staffing decisions. Okay, so are Charter schools. We go on...Charter Schools duly operate with more freedom from many anchored-down federal and state regulations that now apply to the traditional public school system. Thus, (some of) the disregards for Charter School Systems in some communities across the United States.

The competition levels between the traditional public school system, the Charter School system, compared together, are healthy for choice of educational opportunities, however. It brings on more focused educational practices and that said, competition drives excellence.

The Innovative School systems policies and practices could exceed, but not conflict with those existing statutory or regulatory requirements for the traditional public schools. However, that language of law on the educational books, removes any real autonomy from the newbie Innovative School theories.

Charters advocate choice, freedom, accountability, and competition. This is what America was established upon. Charter Schools are designed to incorporate the parent's involvement in their child's or children's educational upbringing and advancing learning curves, and also encourages innovative teaching methodologies - versus not getting bogged-down in the traditional public school governmentally-mandated policies. Although it is great to see another educational process being brought into the picture and laid on the table, maybe it is choice of opportunity is what is necessary instead of hard-core, contrary thought process against anything innovative and opportunistic in education. [J T "Jackie" King]

It's baseball season! Flashes hosted Paraclete on 3/5/10 in the So Cal Invitational tournament. The Flashes had a bad game against a good team who was playing great. Paraclete put double digits on the board by the end of the game while Fillmore struggled to build a rally. I chalk it up to first game jitters. What we got to see was the depth of the pitching on the team this year which is nice to have on the rooster.

On 3/6 Fillmore hosted Santa Monica as part of round two of the So Cal Invitational tournament. The Flashes looked like they were starting to play some team baseball on this game. The Flashes bats were starting to make contact with Sal Ibarra putting one over the new fence. Speaking of the field it looks great. With the new field players could expect faster play, no more sprinkler pot holes in out field. The hometown came close to getting the rally going but fell short. Fans didn't seem to mind as when the rain came down the umbrellas came out and with only one rain delay the boys played on.

3/10 Fillmore traveled to North Hollywood and got their game face on. Some of the players said it was slug fest for Fillmore. The boys came home feeling good but also recognize they have work to do.

3/11 Fillmore travled somewhere, yea I'm a little disconnected on this report, sorry. I recieved one text from my "on the scence field reporter" that the team was heading into the 9th inning! What that's all you got for me? Flashes earned the win with a 3 - 0 score after 9 inning of play.

3/13 My schedule doesn't show a game buy my son says they're playing at home at 11:00. More later. Come on out and watch some Flashes Baseball. Bring a lawn chair a cool beverage and some seeds and watch the boys play ball. It really is a community thing.

Any idea on when the field at the middle school will be finished? I thought (and please correct me if I am wrong) that the field was supposed to be done before the school year even started and here we are nearing the end of it.
My husband is looking forward to being able to run there.

Thanks

Does anybody know what if any the city is doing in trying to drum up new customers for all the empty building in and around town. I see new building have and are going up, but don't see anybody in them. Please don't tell me that this just happened, as I have seen many buildings empty for years, Baldwin Center, Boat lots, Car lots old and fairly new, building accross from city hall, building next to post office, too many to list. Fillmore needs to put a moritorium (sp) on building commercial space, as there is lots of empty ones to choose from. Fillmore is not a industrial town, its more of, a for a better lack of words, farm community and bed room community, and serves SR126 travelers. So come on some one in the know what happening.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I visited Fillmore for the first time in quite a while. While there, I decided to drive out to Ameron, just to take a walk down memory lane. I worked at Ameron between the years of 1976 and 1979. I was quite surprised at some of the changes that have taken place in the last 30 years. Are there any either former employees or current long term employees that could fill me in as to some of the changes that have taken place and when they happened? Just curious. I'm also curious about those folks that I worked with all those years ago when I was still a puppy. I have fond memories of many and would love to hear from them.

Over the years, especially during election season, we hear of PACs (Political Action Committees) being formed to support or oppose candidates or measures. The function and administration of a PAC is widely misunderstood and has been purposefully misrepresented to the public for opportunistic gain.
The 1/8/10 Ventura County Star has a very good article, laced with political intent, on the formation a PAC, how it may be used in the election, who it may target, how it is funded and what its purpose is.
If interested give it a read.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jan/07/simi-valley-police-create-a-polit...

PACs also allow "the average person" to pool his money with like-minded individuals so their collective voice can be heard. The real danger is when organized shadow campaigns are run which don't report their activity (donations, donors, expenses or their official position) or have any formal accountability. An individual candidate campaign is independent of PAC, by law. A shadow campaign can not say the same thing.

Food for thought. What say you?

Steve Conaway

I realize this is media suicide for me, but where did everybody go? I feel like the Lone Ranger who just lost Tonto three weeks ago. I'm forming a personality disorder (no comment, either, Agent86) because it seems I'm the only one in here lately, floating about in outer space without a hookup to the space station. Even my wife is not talking to me...

Fillmore Flashes Wrestling is underway. They had their first JV tournament a week ago in Ventura. I think it was a 8-way tournament. 3 of our wrestlers walked away with 1st place in their indivdual weight classes. (Robert, Mark, Christian (tied for first) and Josh brought home the medals).

On Wednesday 12.17.09 the JV squad traveled to Paso Robles. The Flashes were caught off guard by their opponent, who has been really building a great program over the last few years. The results weren't what anyone was looking for, but the Flashes JV squad has some new wrestlers who are learning the sport and even getting beat can teach you something.

Today, 12.19.09, the Flashes JV squad traveled to Rio Mesa for another full day of wrestling. I believe 4 wrestlers took home 1st place in their weight class and best of all the Fillmore Flashes JV Squad took 1st place at the entire meet! I know Robert, Taylor, Josh and Christian all went 5 - 0 and took home the first place medals. While sitting in the stands some of the wrestlers from Thousand Oaks were talking (they didn't know I was supporting Fillmore at the time) and they were supporting our wrestlers with comments like "Fillmore brings it" and "Fillmore wants it today". They also said that out of all the school present they thought Fillmore had the best sportsmanship, win or lose. The season is young and the Flashes have a few wrestlers who are mending dislocated elbows or sore shoulders. Hopefully they'll all heal prior to league matches later in the season.

This Tuesday they travel to Camarillo for the Gold Coast Classic, which is one of the larger local tournaments. If you want to come watch bring a soft cushion, you'll need it.

As a citizen of Fillmore for the last six years Ive found that this little town is great better then the life I had in Los Angeles, The people are nice the community is great and I find myself feeling better. We have a store here known as Dollar Tree I love it, the store is clean and I love the inventory. I'm just not satisfied with employees of the store,They are down right rude and have no clue on how to treat the customers I have received disrespect from several of the employees on multiple occassions sometimes it wasnt even towards me off in there own conversations about there personal problems all the way to there sex lives using profane language I mean its just not right.

Dont get me wrong there are a FEW employees that make the trip to Dollar Tree a nice one, I forget his name but he always works on the wall with bleach on it he is a delight, There is a a girl named Michelle and Ashely who are always polite. There is one Individual who seems to stand out the most at least for me and a few other people that have been rung up by him his name is Robert, He is very polite, and always finds a way to make you feel welcome. Robert is always helping customers, there have been instances where he will stop what he is doing to help you find what you need. These few I believe are Dollar Trees BEST EMPLOYEES.

On a final note I do not understand there manager Robin he will literally not help out his staff or customers, He has yealled at his staff in front of customers and always seems to make the experience there a unpleasant one. I just wanted to open my opinon on Dollar tree.

THANK YOU FOR READING

Today is Thanksgiving. For many a time of reflection and expression of gratitude for the bounties of life, for others it's family, turkey, football and parades. For some it's a day of work.
Collectively in Fillmore we have several public items to be thankful for. I'll express some of my thoughts.
I'm thankful for Miliary Banner program. It reminds me daily of those individuals from our town who see the big picture and put liberty and freedom above personal gain.
I'm thankful for the recent FEMA stay which will save 1500 families a large amount of money for a few years.
I'm thankful that the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club who are committed to keeping the club doors open for the youth of Fillmore and have stepped in to do just that.
I'm thankful for the past vision of individuals who have helped shape our town and the amenities we now have.
This are some of the public items which I'm proud of as a Fillmore citizen.

Steve Conaway

I plan on calling City Hall on Monday but I was wondering if any of you knew if you need to reserve the park for a birthday party or if it is first come, first serve. I also have a question about renting a jumper. Will I have to get a permit from the city first?

Thanks in advance

Mrs V

Long story but a good one....
=========================
Today I received an email about welfare recipients receiving free cell phones. It led me to a link that had comments from various points of view. I was caught by responses from several people who said they couldn't afford a phone but really needed one and they were glad this program allowed them to have one. I wondered how they could afford internet access and a computer to make these responses. Sure they might have been using a public computer, but wouldn't their time be better spent looking for a job than responding in the discussion on the free cell phone forum. After reading for awhile, one contributor added a link that sent me to the article below. It might interest you. I'm sure many of us have read it before, but read it again. For decades there have been no stops on the spending and now we have reached a point where our country is in a death spiral. Both parties are guilty, but mostly we as Americans are guilty because we have allowed it to go on for decades. It has to stop. We need new faces in D.C. Start educating yourselves now about the people who are there and learn all you can about those who will be running against them next year. By sitting by and comfortably living your life with no concern for what is happening, you may wake to find that your life is no longer comfortable and that your country is no longer the leader of the free world.

Not Yours To Give
By Colonel David Crockett; Compiled by Edward S. Ellis

One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:

“Mr. Speaker–I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him.

Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week’s pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.”
He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.

Later, when asked by a friend why he had opposed the appropriation, Crockett gave this explanation:

“Several years ago I was one evening standing on the steps of the Capitol with some other members of Congress, when our attention was attracted by a great light over in Georgetown . It was evidently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast as we could. In spite of all that could be done, many houses were burned and many families made homeless, and, besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold, and when I saw so many women and children suffering, I felt that something ought to be done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it through as soon as it could be done.

“The next summer, when it began to be time to think about the election, I concluded I would take a scout around among the boys of my district. I had no opposition there, but, as the election was some time off, I did not know what might turn up. When riding one day in a part of my district in which I was more of a stranger than any other, I saw a man in a field plowing and coming toward the road. I gauged my gait so that we should meet as he came to the fence. As he came up, I spoke to the man. He replied politely, but, as I thought, rather coldly.

“I began: ‘Well, friend, I am one of those unfortunate beings called candidates, and–’

“‘Yes, I know you; you are Colonel Crockett, I have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were elected. I suppose you are out electioneering now, but you had better not waste your time or mine. I shall not vote for you again.’

“This was a sockdolager . . . I begged him to tell me what was the matter.

“‘Well, Colonel, it is hardly worth-while to waste time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended, but you gave a vote last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me. But I beg your pardon for expressing it in that way. I did not intend to avail myself of the privilege of the constituent to speak plainly to a candidate for the purpose of insulting or wounding you. I intend by it only to say that your understanding of the Constitution is very different from mine; and I will say to you what, but for my rudeness, I should not have said, that I believe you to be honest. . . . But an understanding of the Constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets it is the more dangerous the more honest he is.’

“‘I admit the truth of all you say, but there must be some mistake about it, for I do not remember that I gave any vote last winter upon any constitutional question.’

“‘No, Colonel, there’s no mistake. Though I live here in the backwoods and seldom go from home, I take the papers from Washington and read very carefully all the proceedings of Congress. My papers say that last winter you voted for a bill to appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in Georgetown . Is that true?’

“‘Well, my friend; I may as well own up. You have got me there. But certainly nobody will complain that a great and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its suffering women and children, particularly with a full and overflowing Treasury, and I am sure, if you had been there, you would have done just as I did.’

“‘It is not the amount, Colonel, that I complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing to do with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means. What is worse, it presses upon him without his knowledge where the weight centers, for there is not a man in the United States who can ever guess how much he pays to the government. So you see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off than he. If you had the right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right to give to one, you have the right to give to all; and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. Individual members may give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for that purpose. If twice as many houses had been burned in this county as in Georgetown , neither you nor any other member of Congress would have thought of appropriating a dollar for our relief. There are about two hundred and forty members of Congress. If they had shown their sympathy for the sufferers by contributing each one week’s pay, it would have made over $13,000. There are plenty of wealthy men in and around Washington who could have given $20,000 without depriving themselves of even a luxury of life. The congressmen chose to keep their own money, which, if reports be true, some of them spend not very creditably; and the people about Washington , no doubt, applauded you for relieving them from the necessity of giving by giving what was not yours to give. The people have delegated to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the Constitution.

“‘So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.’

“I tell you I felt streaked. I saw if I should have opposition, and this man should go to talking, he would set others to talking, and in that district I was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, and the fact is, I was so fully convinced that he was right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him, and I said to him:
“‘Well, my friend, you hit the nail upon the head when you said I had not sense enough to understand the Constitution. I intended to be guided by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have heard many speeches in Congress about the powers of Congress, but what you have said here at your plow has got more hard, sound sense in it than all the fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken the view of it that you have, I would have put my head into the fire before I would have given that vote; and if you will forgive me and vote for me again, if I ever vote for another unconstitutional law I wish I may be shot.’

“He laughingly replied: ‘Yes, Colonel, you have sworn to that once before, but I will trust you again upon one condition. You say that you are convinced that your vote was wrong. Your acknowledgment of it will do more good than beating you for it. If, as you go around the district, you will tell people about this vote, and that you are satisfied it was wrong, I will not only vote for you, but will do what I can to keep down opposition, and, perhaps, I may exert some little influence in that way.’

“‘If I don’t,’ said I, ‘I wish I may be shot; and to convince you that I am in earnest in what I say I will come back this way in a week or ten days, and if you will get up a gathering of the people, I will make a speech to them. Get up a barbecue, and I will pay for it.’

“‘No, Colonel, we are not rich people in this section, but we have plenty of provisions to contribute for a barbecue, and some to spare for those who have none. The push of crops will be over in a few days, and we can then afford a day for a barbecue. This is Thursday; I will see to getting it up on Saturday week. Come to my house on Friday, and we will go together, and I promise you a very respectable crowd to see and hear you.’

“‘Well, I will be here. But one thing more before I say good-by. I must know your name.’

“‘My name is Bunce.’

“‘Not Horatio Bunce?’

“‘Yes.’

“‘Well, Mr. Bunce, I never saw you before, though you say you have seen me, but I know you very well. I am glad I have met you, and very proud that I may hope to have you for my friend.’

“It was one of the luckiest hits of my life that I met him. He mingled but little with the public, but was widely known for his remarkable intelligence and incorruptible integrity, and for a heart brimful and running over with kindness and benevolence, which showed themselves not only in words but in acts. He was the oracle of the whole country around him, and his fame had extended far beyond the circle of his immediate acquaintance. Though I had never met him before, I had heard much of him, and but for this meeting it is very likely I should have had opposition, and had been beaten. One thing is very certain, no man could now stand up in that district under such a vote.

“At the appointed time I was at his house, having told our conversation to every crowd I had met, and to every man I stayed all night with, and I found that it gave the people an interest and a confidence in me stronger than I had every seen manifested before.

“Though I was considerably fatigued when I reached his house, and, under ordinary circumstances, should have gone early to bed, I kept him up until midnight, talking about the principles and affairs of government, and got more real, true knowledge of them than I had got all my life before.

“I have known and seen much of him since, for I respect him–no, that is not the word–I reverence and love him more than any living man, and I go to see him two or three times every year; and I will tell you, sir, if every one who professes to be a Christian lived and acted and enjoyed it as he does, the religion of Christ would take the world by storm.

“But to return to my story. The next morning we went to the barbecue, and, to my surprise, found about a thousand men there. I met a good many whom I had not known before, and they and my friend introduced me around until I had got pretty well acquainted–at least, they all knew me.

“In due time notice was given that I would speak to them. They gathered up around a stand that had been erected. I opened my speech by saying:
“‘Fellow-citizens–I present myself before you today feeling like a new man. My eyes have lately been opened to truths which ignorance or prejudice, or both, had heretofore hidden from my view. I feel that I can today offer you the ability to render you more valuable service than I have ever been able to render before. I am here today more for the purpose of acknowledging my error than to seek your votes. That I should make this acknowledgment is due to myself as well as to you. Whether you will vote for me is a matter for your consideration only.’

“I went on to tell them about the fire and my vote for the appropriation and then told them why I was satisfied it was wrong. I closed by saying:
“‘And now, fellow-citizens, it remains only for me to tell you that the most of the speech you have listened to with so much interest was simply a repetition of the arguments by which your neighbor, Mr. Bunce, convinced me of my error.

“‘It is the best speech I ever made in my life, but he is entitled to the credit for it. And now I hope he is satisfied with his convert and that he will get up here and tell you so.’
“He came upon the stand and said:
“‘Fellow-citizens–It affords me great pleasure to comply with the request of Colonel Crockett. I have always considered him a thoroughly honest man, and I am satisfied that he will faithfully perform all that he has promised you today.’

“He went down, and there went up from that crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name never called forth before.

“I am not much given to tears, but I was taken with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the remembrance of those few words spoken by such a man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, is worth more to me than all the honors I have received and all the reputation I have ever made, or ever shall make, as a member of Congress.

“Now, sir,” concluded Crockett, “you know why I made that speech yesterday.

“There is one thing now to which I will call your attention. You remember that I proposed to give a week’s pay. There are in that House many very wealthy men–men who think nothing of spending a week’s pay, or a dozen of them, for a dinner or a wine party when they have something to accomplish by it. Some of those same men made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of gratitude which the country owed the deceased–a debt which could not be paid by money–and the insignificance and worthlessness of money, particularly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when weighted against the honor of the nation. Yet not one of them responded to my proposition. Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it.”
Holders of political office are but reflections of the dominant leadership–good or bad–among the electorate.

Horatio Bunce is a striking example of responsible citizenship. Were his kind to multiply, we would see many new faces in public office; or, as in the case of Davy Crockett, a new Crockett.

For either the new faces or the new Crocketts, we must look to the Horatio in ourselves!

Why would Mayor Walker call a Special Closed Session of the Fillmore City Council? The notice said to consider possible litigation. Is this an attempt on Mayor Walker's part to hide the other violations of the Open Meeting Act (Brown Act)by having a meeting on an off night in the hopes that no one will notice?

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