Category: Politics

San Buenaventura’s Freedom’s Defenders

by Library Docent Volunteer Andy Ludlum

Walter Chaffee spent several nights cradling a loaded shotgun, guarding the American flag that flew on a liberty pole in front of his dry goods store at the corner of Palm and Main in San Buenaventura. During the Civil War, Chaffee had proudly kept the U.S. flag flying day and night, but vandals who didn’t support the Union kept stealing it. News of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865, took days to reach the small mission town. Chaffee’s flag was said to be the only one south of San Jose flown at half-staff to honor the fallen president.

Read the story: Museum of Ventura County

Update: Sick of those long paper receipts? California lawmakers are weighing a bill to ban them

4 1/2 foot CVS receipt received in December.

California lawmakers are mulling a bill that would require retailers and other businesses to give customers e-receipts by default, replacing the paper printouts that consume resources and are difficult to recycle. The bill will have its first hearing on Monday at 2 p.m.

Source: latimes.com

Time to admit owning 40% of the world’s guns is wrong

Mourners after the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks. Credit: CNN

I used to think after each horrific shooting that now -finally – something would have to be done.

Each event seemed more terrible than the last. Surely murdering kindergarteners would bring people together to demand change. Surely cutting down teenagers in their classrooms would make people say enough is enough. Surely mowing down a crowd in a Las Vegas plaza would lead people to cry out for this senseless violence to stop. Continue reading “Time to admit owning 40% of the world’s guns is wrong”