At the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Indianapolis, NRA Top Gun Wayne LaPierre fired off the following threat: “Gun-hating politicians should never go to bed unafraid of what this association and all of our millions of members can do to their political careers.” Ironically, this pro-Second Amendment threat to leave targeted individuals trembling in their beds would appear to violate the spirit of the Constitution's Fourth Amendment guarantee that "The right of the people to be secure in their persons [and] houses… shall not be violated."

But, with the increasing toll of mass shootings in the US, the NRA's annual pro-gun ceremonies are coming under fire from a growing number of Americans. Gunfire is now the leading cause of infant deaths in the US. ("We're Number One!") One in five Americans has experienced some form of trauma owing to gun violence. And the NRA's conventions themselves have been preceded by major acts of mass-slaughter—Parkland, Florida (2018), Uvalde, Texas (2022), Nashville and Louisville, Kentucky (2023).

Former VP Mike Pence told the convention's multitudes that it was time to “Stop trampling on the God-given rights of the American people every time tragedy happens.” Apparently, what Jehovah meant to inscribe on the stone tablets from Mt. Sinai was "Thou shalt not kill … unless thou art using bullets."

While the NRA allows conference-goers to carry weapons during their annual NRA gatherings, that option is not iron-clad. Attendees wishing to attend the NRA's main opening night event were ordered to hand over their pistols because "guns will not be permitted inside the forum on Friday, citing security concerns."

The order came from the "gun-hating" members of the US Secret Service who were sworn to keep Friday's NRA meeting "gun-free" in order to protect Second Amendment Absolutist and twice-impeached former president Donald Trump who was scheduled to speak. -more-

The internet has been compared to "the wild west." And I can see that. If I had evidence that an individual was hacking me, it isn't generally at the level of being able to get help from law enforcement. The exceptions to this include money being taken, identity theft, attempted extortion--where someone sends you a threatening email and wants money, and situations where you have strong evidence that an actual crime has been committed against you. When the officer shows up, you need to produce something that you can hand to him or her, such as a printed sheet that shows real evidence. I have been in those situations, and I have brought in police.

However, if someone does something harder to pinpoint, there isn't much you can do. It is up to you to take countermeasures. Additionally, your imagination and, (if you are subject to paranoid delusions) your psychosis, could make you think something is happening that really isn't. Calling the cops isn't something you can do unless you have something concrete, because they don't want their time wasted, and they could turn on you, and come after you for a violation of giving them false alarms.

I have owned companies in which I helped people in their homes with technical issues. Earlier, I did in-home television repair. Later I helped people with their computer problems. Windows 98 furnished a lot of problems that were relatively easy to solve. But I was never quite good enough at repair to run businesses doing it. (Just to let you know, these "businesses" consisted of just me with licensing and tools.) But I didn't know I wasn't good enough at it. I mean I was good at technical stuff, but not good enough to call myself an expert. -more-

On Monday, April 10, at the Berkeley City Council Agenda Committee, during the finalization of the City Council agenda for the April 25, 2023 regular council meeting, that the request from Dee Williams-Ridley, City Manager to add the appointments of the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief to the April 25 agenda ran into a bit of a snag. The April 25 agenda would be released on April 13, and for City staff to meet the Brown Act deadline for the publication of the agenda it would have to be completed before the 3 pm City Council closed session which was going to discuss the appointments. -more-

I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent PBS Frontline documentary that exposed the catastrophic failures by the US Pentagon in the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The documentary highlighted how the US military wrongly targeted civilians as the enemy, resulting in the killing of innocent people and the boosting of the number of Taliban fighters. Additionally, the Afghan army was shown to be riddled with corruption, leading to further setbacks in the US mission. -more-

Worth Noting:

The April 25 City Council Regular Meeting Agenda is available for public comment and follows below this calendar of meetings.

The bolded phases are to encourage your attendance and comment. Picking a commission and/or council committee that covers your issues and then attending those meetings regularly is the best way to influence / have a say in the outcome.

• Sunday: Holocaust Remembrance Day at 2 pm. The program event is online.
• Monday:
  • 2 pm WETA Business Plan Workshop #2 in hybrid format online and in-person.
  • 3 pm City Council closed session.
  • 6-7 pm Speaking Up for Point Molate is online on the development of the Bay Trail.
• Tuesday: 7 pm the Homeless Services Panel of Experts meets in-person on Measure P priorities for funding.
• Wednesday:
  • 9 am The City/UC/Student committee meets in the hybrid format on funding priorities for the long-range development plan settlement funding.
  • 1:30 pm The Commission on Aging meets in person.
  • 3 – 4:30 pm The Mental Health Services Act meeting is online (this will be repeated).
  • 5:30 pm (new time ) The Planning Commission meets on proposed zoning changes to for the Southside (increasing housing for students)
  • 5:30 – 7:30 pm James Kenney Community is meeting online on the Skate Spot
  • 6:30 pm BOLT meets in person.
  • 6:30 pm Human Welfare and Community Action meets in-person. Accessibility issues on the agenda.
• Thursday:
  • 10 am Budget & Finance meets in hybrid format on T1 Phase 2 (not enough funds for approved projects).
  • 1 pm FITES meets in the hybrid format on increasing financing for streets.
  • 6:30 pm The Rent Board meets in the hybrid format.
  • 6:30 – 8:30 pm BART meeting on the Ashby BART housing project and station planning is in-person only. Register by April 17, space limited to 100. (links below)
  • 7 pm The Design Review Committee meets in-person on 3 density bonus projects and the bid safe ordinance.
  • 7 pm The Mental Health Commission meets in person and receives an update on SCU (Special Care Unit for response to mental health crisis)
  • 7 pm The Transportation and Infrastructure Commission meets in-person and receives a presentation on the safety plan for railroad crossings from ACTC.
• Saturday: Earth Day 2 – 5 pm is an in-person free event on electrification at the Brower Center