PLEASANT HILL'S BART TRANSIT VILLAGE, YUCK!
Pleasant Hill. Ca. Have you driven on Treat Blvd lately past the Pleasant Hill BART Transit Village construction? I think the name should be Transit village ghetto because that's what it looks like. It will be a small city on its own when construction is completed flush with small shops and carts for local produce.
Treat Blvd is rather heavy with traffic now. Can you imagine what it is going to look like when it is completed and residents are driving in and out of there all day?
This is redevelopment gone mad. Our lovely, suburban type living is being engulfed with concrete and steel.
RE: 5/28/09 Walnut Creek Journal article “Tweens Talk It Out.”
To re-cap an article that appeared on 5/28/09; two El Monte Elementary School teachers, taking advantage of the “drama and emotional stress” being experienced by 10 and 11 year old girl students,” created lunch time counseling sessions in which they are teaching forty or more students non-judgmental decision making processes.
One student is quoted as declaring that: “we can come to her and she helps us solve everything...she’s like a mom.”
Wrong, she’s not a mom, she’s a change agent. Using the closed environment of a school day educators as change agents are trained to use whatever opportunities present themselves to begin instilling new behaviors, norms and moral codes in the targeted subjects.
In the article the teacher even admits this when she says: “she compliments the girls for their insights (build up their egos and the sense of autonomy), prompting members to
come up with their own solutions.” This is a values neutral methodology so reminiscent of the I’m Okay, you’re Okay mantra of the 60’s. Parents ought not to allow this to continue.
__________________
The purpose and focus of public education has little to do with academic education. In fact several well-known educators have stated that it is a waste of time and money to spend time on academics when preparing children for future jobs can be so much more productive.
To obtain insights into the government mandate of school-to-work read the testimony of former US Labor Secretary, Elaine Chao:
http"//edwatch.org/updates/030316.htm.To understand the citizen's concern about the re-focusing of the purpose of education visit
http://www.edaction.org/2002/02Sept26a.htm
Labels: School-To-Work
Partners Acting in Community Together - PACT - www.pactsj.org.
This group is mentioned in the San Jose Mercury News front page - "the Valley" section - top of the fold - article entitled: "No 'politics of fear' in San Jose."
This has been an on-going report on one family in S.J. The husband, an employed "long time manager at Albertson's" was deported earlier this year to Mexico. He had been in the US since 1985 along with his wife. Their 4 children are US citizens. The wife, who, apparently speaks no english, took refuge in a Catholic church for a period of time to protest their being deported. She has finally relented and has returned to Mexico with her children to be reunited with the husband. Her alternative was to leave her kids in US foster care.
It appears that numerous San Jose area residents and churches acted to protect and support this woman during her sanctuary period.
For our purposes this story centers around the group known as Partners Acting in Community Together. One interesting item is the name of one of the Board members of PACT. Her last name is Belote which, unless I'm mistaken, is also the sir name of the man who runs the Oakland diocese Catholic Charities. Coincidence?
Of course, PACT is another offshoot of PICO - Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (which occasionally slightly alters its name to suit it's purpose, but always has the PICO initials). Once again, a socialist oriented organization is the tail wagging the dog. In this instance the dog is the Catholic and other mainline and social justice based churches.
They have influenced local law enforcement and city council people who state that they will not report illegal immigrants. Now, it may be a catch 22 situation. The children are citizens but they are going to Mexico where they will lose the benefits of a decent American education. The family's lifestyle will be less than it was, probably. However, in the article a lawyer, member of the LA Center for Human Rights, states that with regard to the mother's decision to return to Mexico: "She's just very concerned about complying with the law. She, like many immigrants share a real fear of breaking the law."
Huh? She and her husband lived, worked and prospered in the US as illegal citizens and she's afraid of breaking the law? Seems to me she flouted the law.
MARCH 31. 2007
DANCING PARTNERS, by Diane Lily
The Contra Costa Times has a full dance card these days. The local and state politicians are vying for time and space in the paper making it appear that their special interests are really headline news.
Take for instance the March 26th edition of the Times article by Theresa Harrington on
“Senior housing projects in works” page 3. Several months ago I gave a report on a county wide program entitled:
Contra Costa For Every Generation: making our community aging-friendly?” This partnership of government and community based, tax supported and church affiliated special interests spent about 2 years meeting and working, quietly, to create the blue prints for a planned new Contra Costa diverse community in which ethnic, age and different economic status people would be resettled in politically correct communities.
Though I appreciate Theresa Harrington’s reporting on this issue, she makes it appear as though this is some new, wonderful great idea spearheaded by individual citizens needs. This article quoting praises by our Walnut Creek City Council members. is just a fluff piece to showcase the politicians. This also hides the reality that people are being placed like pawns on a chess board by special interests.
A recent Times editorial entitled: “
Stop the Trans Far bill” referring to Sacramento legislation was deceptive. The editorial appeared to be defending the consumer’s right to chose what to eat in restaurants and restaurants to chose how to prepare, store and serve the food they provide the customer, but, in reality it was a support piece for implementing a Torlakson bill, SB 20, on mandating that schools, by a date certain, provide breakfast and lunch to all students in a closed campus. The menus would be dictated by the environmental/health services special interests reflecting whatever is the current politically correct nutritional fad.
The 3/31/07 Saturday Times Commentary page carries a letter to the editor written by a Dr. Kiris Young “from the medical community” He is a “certified nutritional specialist in Richmond (that’s a special interest agency). He declares that the “trans fat ban bill must be passed.”
What no one is mentioning is that the food manufacturing industry is already monitoring itself. I recently bought a bottle of vegetable oil that has a big sign on it saying “”not made with trans-fats.”
This legislation, like so many bills in Sacramento, is not needed. It’s a pretense of concern for the public’s health and welfare when, in fact, it is one of many vehicles to interject the government into yet another deeper level of private lives controlling where we live, where we work, what health care we get, what we put into our mouths, what lifestyle choices our children make.
The bills in Sacramento that contain these elements are:
SB 20, Tom Torlakson, (D), Pupil Nutrition,
AB 93, Bonnie Garcia,(R0 Food; Trans fats,
AB 92, Bonnie Garcia, Pupil Nutrition: school meals, and the bill supported by Young,
AB 97, Tony Mendoza, entitled “Food Facilities: Trans Fat would, like most of the others,
[ create] a new crime ..[and]... adding to the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This clearly is the state reaching down into the local community to control yet another industry.
Only you, the citizen, can stop this. Write to your Assembly and Senate representatives and urge a “NO” vote on these bills.
April 3, 2007
THE DANCE CONTINUES.
Diane Lily
Today’s
Contra Costa Tmes carries a front page article, as though it was headline news, entitled “
Retirement Put Out to Pasture.”The article highlights certain senior citizens who, apparently dissatisfied and restless in retirement, have come back out into the community to work or volunteer their time and expertise.. Most often the new jobs are of entry level lower prestige and responsibility jobs than their “real life” jobs had been. The reason given by some is that their retirement pensions, etc, simply don’t meet their lifestyle needs or their desire to be involved in the community.
The problem with this article is that it is a planned, propaganda piece highlighting the several years long work of the community planners.
At the end of the article Grace Caliendo, CEO of the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Community Health Fund, is quoted:
“One local health advocate sees big potential in the aging work force. ‘There’s this constant fear that the retirement of boomers is going to break the bank of Social Security and Medicare. Welll, that’s just not going to be true if we just keep on working....[we’re]... not tired, a lot of us haven’t had to do factory work or farm work or that kind of thing. I think society’s going to need us.’”
Not mentioned in this article is the fact that it is Grace Caliendo (and the Y.H. Soda’s funding stream) that created and promoted the Contra Costa For Every Generation program that created the agenda for moving seniors back into jobs and volunteer programs. The six goals to creating a “pathways to an aging--friendly Community” each highlight some aspect of reactivating senior citizens to make them productive and contributing members of society
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m all in favor of productive work and community involvement and I applaud the people who are so generous with their time and talents.
What I don’t appreciate is the covert planning by tax and think tank supported and sponsored entities who make it seem as though this is all just ducky and spontaneous.
These entry level jobs that the senior citizens are taking should be going to young people (legal cirizens) in need of training and income on which to live. There are many, many volunteer positions very worthy of the talents of senior citizens that don’t take away from our young people. I think what it is, in reality, is the awareness on the part of the global planners that there are not enough citizens left in the world, baby boomers notwithstanding, to fill all the positions needs for a productive economy. Also, community agencies are too busy lining their pockets with tax dollars doling out questionable services to youth who need less of the Nanny state and more of a chance to get on with their lives.
Walnut Creek's Controlled Reading Program.
Guest Commentary by Diane Lily.
The Walnut Creek City bureaucracy continues to plan our lives.
Yesterday's Contra Costa Times insert, the Walnut Creek Journal, carries a story entitled 'The Namesake' kicks off reading program. Walnut Creek has joined in a nationwide program called One City, One Book. Kind of reminds me of One Government, One World.
In this program the librarian chooses a book from an approved reading list which the citizens are then encouraged to read. That's not all. We can't just feast our eyes on another's culture there will also be parallel activities such as cooking classes demonstrating the foods and cultures portrayed in the book.
The main library in W.C. will be setting aside a certain number of free copies of the books for those who get there first.
Now, nobody has ever accused me of being a free spirit, do my own thing kind of person, but this just makes me mad. We citizens are alway being reported as having amongst the highest academic levels of education, the most comfortable and secure incomes, well traveled, reading the WSJ or whatever, BUT WE CAN'T PICK OUT OUR OWN BOOKS TO READ!? We have to read politically correct books about cultural and ethnic diversity? That is apparently what the majority of books on this reading list are all about.
This is just the latest in a long string of decision making-for-the-people that the City Council is engaged in. It's not enough that they want us to live in certain places, eat the "right" foods (controlling the menus of the local restaurants) maintaining a certain weight, get out of our cars, teach our kids about deviant lifestyles in the school system, make out end-of-life decisions and everybody get subjected to mental health evaluations and vaccinations. I suggest the city council read the US Constitution.
SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT-SHOP FROM HOME
by Camille Giglio
I have begun to succumb to the siren call of using my computer to shop from home for a broad assortment of items. The postage and handling fees are stiff, but, the ease and minimum amount of energy involved makes it all worthwhile. It doesn’t matter that when the shoes arrive they are the wrong size or the cooking utensil is less than the quality I expected and they all have to be sent back through the mail. I’ve undoubtedly helped to make the air a little more breathable by keeping my car in the garage.
I have been trying to explain Smart Growth and Transit Corridors to my husband a retired businessman. I have explained that one of the main goals of much of this planned growth is to provide everything needed in a community in as close proximity to the residents as possible to eliminate the need for cars.
He refuses to accept this premise. He points to the request for expansion of commercial space in the Broadway Shopping Center of Walnut Creek. Why would that facility seek expansion if people were going to be discouraged from driving to the shopping center?
I explain, carefully, that people will be encouraged to get on light rail transit to get someplace or to walk or bike to where they want/have to go. He says it will never happen.
You notice, he says, that there is no Nordstrom’s in Brentwood? Nordstrom’s is in Walnut Creek and Nordstrom’s wants people to come from Brentwood, Lafayette, Martinez, etc. to shop at Nordstrom’s. The cost to bring Nordstrom’s to all those communities would be prohibitive. No, you’ve got it wrong, he claims.
Well, he has a point. He has a point until I opened my computer today and see that the Contra Costa Times has, once again, sent me a notice that I can shop from home this time for a Valentine’s Day Gift for my loved ones.
I am now reminded of all the other things I can do from home through the computer. Have I answered his question of needing to go to the store? Maybe.
Maybe in the future the Nordstrom’s catalog delivery guy can ride his bicycle to my house?
I won’t need to go to the Hallmark Card shop for that birthday card because I can send it from my computer. I can even order groceries through the computer or over the phone.
All my clothes, books, medications (for my dog as well) even computers can arrive at my door without ever having to leave the house.
I can even arrange to rent a new apartment, according to the Times, by just clicking on the space below to see the interior views of the rooms. A rental specialist will handle everything for me.
I can even earn my living by working from home and don’t forget I can vote from home, too. Why, I hardly ever need to leave my house. Help!
MAYORS AS MENTORS
by: Camille Giglio
The U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C. ended a few weeks ago. Attendees, including the Mayors of Oakland, Walnut Creek and San Francisco, to name a few, came back home filled with ideas, described by Walnut Creek mayor, Kathy Hicks, to “make this a wonderful place [to live]” So, it should be no surprise that the cities of Oakland, Walnut Creek and San Francisco are capturing headlines proclaiming new programs and goals to help their residents live gracious and fulfilled lives.
One wonders if Hicks thought our town was not so wonderful before she went to the Mayors’ Conference?
All the Mayors proclaim that their city and it’s residents are so unique but if instituted all the so-called innovative programs will create a dreary samesness across the country.
In an interview for the Times Mayor Hicks is quoted as declaring that “It would be very arrogant not to listen to the different opinions. We on the City Council do listen to a wide variety of input and we have to make the best decisions we can. We can’t agree with everyone.”
Though she and other small town mayors like her, may indeed listen, in fact have to listen to the opinions of residents, in truth it is the opinions of professional Planners protected from the ballot box, sitting in their ivory think tank towers planning other peoples lives to which these mayors actually listen and subscribe. U.S. Mayors
The Times article continues with the interview of Hicks. “I believe our entire City Council has a great deal of integrity,” said Hicks.. “We serve Walnut Creek because we care deeply. We love Walnut Creek.” Hicks apparently really believes that Walnut Creek’s residents can’t get along without her and her vision of a “healthy community.”
Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County, in general, according to the County web site, boasts a favorable income level and education for the majority of residents especially in the central, eastern and southern parts of the county. One would think that with that kind of background we would be able to achieve the good life on our own. Not Hicks apparently, she seems to believe that not only did she get elected to the City Council to guide it’s infrastructure, she thinks the job carries the title of mentor as well.
The main purpose of this US Conference for Mayors is to promote the latest gimmicks for linking up local communities into one big, cooperative global public/private partnership. This is accomplished by bringing elected officials and non-governmental agencies - NGOs’ - together to form a union so to speak to bring every community into line with the globalization of the world following the agenda set down by the U.N.’s Agenda 21.
Public/private partnerships merge the authority of the government and often the funding of programs together with those private sector groups who are seen to have the closest association with the public as well as the public’s trust, to provide “services” to everyone. What people are failing to understand is that these local agencies are now tied to the government through these partnerships, implementing programs not so much designed to be beneficial to the individual resident of small town, USA, as to benefit the visions of elitist governing bodies at the expense of the individual.
Hicks as much as admits that in the Times article when she says, first in regard to the Regional Arts Center : “The goal is to continue to improve the arts and acknowledge it as an important and special part of our community that contributes to the heart and soul of our community.” She then reveals her messianic vision by saying: “One of the most satisfying things about being on the council is bringing people together to form collaborations and make this a wonderful place....My goal for the future is to promote partnerships and city alliances.”
Local officials attending national conferences get wined and dined and treated like royalty by advocates and lobbyists trying to sell their programs. The little guys from the suburbs begin to believe all the laudatory praise seeing themselves as great and innovative leaders when actually they are mere pawns in the aggressive game of politics.
For an in-depth understanding of the UN and Agenda 21 goals go to
Freedom21
