Around Here, The Opinions Are Flying Out The Door

First it was Travis Armstrong leaving the News-Press. Now Cheri Rae, the political columnist of the Daily Sound, is saying sayonara to the op-ed pages.

Suddenly, opinion columnists seem to be among Santa Barbara's most endangered species.

Nick Welsh, who writes "Angry Poodle Barbecue," over at the Independent has been the town's best political/opinion columnist for years in my view. But Nick is now the last man standing.

Before she started writing for the Daily Sound two and a half years ago, Rae, who shares my affection for California bungalows (BTW, I'm moving into one at the end of the month), was best known as a neighborhood advocate who opposed Cottage Hospital's development plan for the former campus of St. Francis Hospital.

That focus on neighborhoods went with her when her column first started appearing on Thursdays in the Sound. Over time, she addressed a wide variety of issues including the election of Barack Obama, who she was for from the very beginning, and the emergence of Sarah Palin, who is every political writers best friend.

In her final farewell column that appeared in Thursday's edition of the Sound, Rae cited her desire to finish a book she is working on as the reason for her departure.

A long-time writer who in the past had written for the L.A. Times, Rae was much more than simply an op-ed page columnist at the Sound. She, along with the paper's editor and publisher Jeramy Gordon, interviewed candidates for city council and mayor and Rae helped shape the paper's endorsements. And, if you're wondering why the Daily Sound endorsed Dale Francisco for mayor, the answer is, Rae.

According to Rae, the front-runner in the mayor's race, council member Helene Schneider, had been 100 percent behind Cottage's plan to put workforce housing along with 34 market-rate units at the old St. Francis site. Rae was all for the workforce housing part, but couldn't get behind the market-rate units. Although Rae denied it in a phone call with me, you can't help but think their difference on the St. Francis plan hurt Schneider's chances of getting the Sound's endorsement. On top of that, Rae didn't care much for Chamber of Commerce President Steve Cushman. With Rae having a say in who would get the paper's nod, Francisco became the default choice.

When I asked Rae what she would miss most about writing her weekly column she thought for a moment then said, "I'll miss the immediate connection with the community and the feedback. Just today I ran into someone who told me, 'I don't always agree with you, but you always make me think.'"

Indeed, that's what a good opinion columnist should do, make you think, regardless of whether you agree with them.

Of course, not everyone around here realizes that. From time to time, Rae would get her share of ridicule from the commenters on the Daily Sound's website and on the blogs. Perhaps the most recent example is the column she wrote about Cushman shortly before the election.

Rae acknowledged that, "Column writing is more personal." She said that she tried to read comments and consider the sources. "When they're anonymous you tend to take them not too seriously."

I didn't always agree with Rae. And, I thought she gave Randall Von Wolfswinkel the kid-glove treatment. But I must say, of all the opinion columnists I've ever known, you'll never meet a nicer one than Rae.

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A letter to the editor in Thursday's Daily Sound takes the paper to task for calling Bob Wilcher, a chiropractor who writes a "fitness column," "doctor."

And while we're at it, I think it's time we sent cease and desist letters to "Dr. Laura," "Dr. J." and "Rex Morgan, M.D."

© 2009 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com

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Van Wolfswinkel Takes A Curtain Call

Last week ended with me harassing a woman in a coffee shop. I thought I'd start this week off by turning back to a familiar subject, Texan Randall Van Wolfswinkel.

Late last week, every registered voter in town got a mailer signed by him that opened up by saying, "Dear Neighbor, Now that the election is over, I wanted to write and thank you."


And just in case anyone missed the mailer, he took out a full-page ad in the Independent with the same message.

"Dear Neighbor?" I don't know about you, but I have never run into Van Wolfswinkel at any local coffee shops yakking on his cell phone. That's because I've never run into him. I've never seen him around in the 93101 or the 93109 and nowhere in between. Not at the bank, not at the checkout line at the grocery store, or having a cold one at the bar at Joe's.

I doubt that he knows where the newest farmer's market in town is held or where the "Real Housewives of the Mesa" hang out.

He may be kicking back at Gilley's in Dallas, but seeing how I never get down that way, it's little wonder that I've never rubbed elbows or bumped fists with him.

If Van Wolfswinkel is looking to bolster his credibility, I'd advise him to start by cutting the "Dear Neighbor" crap.

Anyway, Van Wolfswinkel tells us that, "By electing two, new common sense council members, you have taken the first step to creating hope and change at City Hall."

And Randall, by sending out another 44,000 of these mailers, you've taken yet another step towards whacking down another forest full of trees.

I know, pulling out and declaring victory went out of fashion sometime after the end of the Vietnam War.

But, couldn't Van Wolfswinkel have just walked away and gone quietly into that good Texas night? Instead, he had to personally inform each and every one of us that he'll be back?

If Tex really intends to return, I'd be more impressed if instead of patronizing us for electing two people who probably would have been elected regardless of the nearly three-quarters of a million dollars he spent, he admitted that the negative campaign tactics that the Preserve Our Santa Barbara campaign engaged in, didn't work.

After all, in light of the fact that Measure B, which Van Wolfswinkel supported, got 11,000 signatures to put it on the ballot but only got a little over 10,000 votes as it failed to pass, I'd say he did a pretty good job of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Of course, the defeat of Measure B doesn't get mentioned in the thank you mailer.

The last line of the mailer says, "So please stay turned, stay informed, and stay involved to Preserve Our Santa Barbara."

"Our" Santa Barbara?

Suddenly a trip down to Gilley's in Dallas sounds pretty good. At least there, the only bull you'll find is mechanical.

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According to the New York Times, I'm not the only one who has lost patience with rude cell phone users.

Although a number of you sent me the link to The Times article, the first person to tell me about it was my son who lives in Connecticut.

© 2009 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com

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Readers Respond to Coffee House Brew Ha Ha

Yesterday's post about my coffee house run-in with a woman who refused to take her cell phone conversation outside drew a huge amount of traffic to my blog and a huge response from you readers with your own opinions.

Traffic wise, it was one of the biggest days ever on my blog, certainly probably the most traffic I've ever gotten on a post where the subject wasn't the Santa Barbara News-Press. The column got over 1,300 reads on Edhat. Over 2,200 page views overall.

And as for the response, well, I picked the wrong day to spend over four hours behind the wheel (not talking on my cell phone I might add) because the comments sent to me were plentiful and steady. Over 50 e-mails and comments sent to me directly or through the form on my blog. And of course, a long day spent on the road driving to and from L.A. meant little opportunity to acknowledge people's messages.

The overwhelming majority of you thought I was right to say something. Those who took issue with how I handled the situation were troubled by my use of the "B" word. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't use it. But let's face it, the cell phone yakker's cavalier dismissal of my objections to her rudeness made me angry, and when you're angry stuff gets said.

Here's what some of you had to say:

"Kudos to you for speaking up. Politeness seems to be an endangered species." Devon Capshaw

"Craig - I'm with you on the "bitter old fart" category. And I thank you for being the one who had the cajones to actually say something." Catherine Duvendeck

"I'm with you 100% regarding the cell phone oaf. I believe that the use of cell phones in a high volume manner that involves innocent bystanders is one of the signs of the crumbling of civilization as we know it. The frequency in which I am subjected to this rudeness in airport lobbys, on planes, in hotel lobbys, etc is astounding, particularly when the exceedingly personal nature of what we often hear is considered." Jan Greben

"If you don't want social interaction, stay at home on your own comfy chair." Ben Burleson

"Craig: I too go into the Good Cup on occasion, and I am around your age. I think you know the answer to your own question. You were right to ask her to talk outside. You were wrong to call her a (w)itch. Why? Because using that word was not only rude, it was demeaning. You had the opportunity to make an important point and you only adopted (and topped) the sort of behavior you wanted to stop. I would have "accidentally" spilled my cup of coffee on her!" Anonymous

"I would have "accidentally" spilled my cup of coffee on her!" Anonymous

"Amen regarding cell phone use. We all need to step up and teach our village idiots manners in public. I've heard more than I need and that was only half of the conversation!" Laurie Mundy

"As you know, society is self-regulating for the most part. If you didn't say something she would go on being rude and thinking that everything was fine. At least you made her think, and, hopefully, she brought up this incident to some of her friends or colleagues, and perhaps someone else also called her on her extremely rude and selfish behavior. She may, just may, think twice about having loud cellular conversations in quiet venues in the future. I think you did the right thing, including the "witch" comment. :)" Teresa Eggemeyer"

Totally agree with you making a comment to the "witch" in the coffee shop. We now live in a world where everyone thinks that they have a "right" to be an asshole. There are no more manners or politeness anymore. It is all about 'I am the most important thing in the world'. Who told all of these people that they are so special?! They are not." Mark Purcell

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, for saying something to the rude "witch" with the cell phone. I'm so sick and tired of having to be subject to someone else's life drama via their cell phone conversations. More enlightened citizens need to be as proactive as you and maybe we can get these self important numb skulls to realize there are others in the world who would just like to have a little peace and quiet. Just so you know, I personally don't own a cell phone and have had little cause to think I, or most other people actually need to be able to be immediately contacted for anything. We have turned into a bunch of instant gratification addicts. Thanks for speaking out." B. Hunt

"You were right to ask her to take her call outside, but you'll never garner sympathy if you call someone a "rude *itch." Once you start calling names, you immediately lose the high road. Just roll your eyes and be the better man." Hillary

There are more than 80 other comments posted at Edhat.

A couple of commenters over there wondered if I would have said anything had it been two people having a loud conversation in the coffee house. Probably not. For some reason, it's just not the same, even though volume wise it may be indistinguishable from someone talking loudly into their phone. We expect people to come and meet at converse at coffee houses, that's what they're for. But, they are not some mass free form phone booth.

And what's offensive or impolite is not judged solely by the volume of noise it creates. Suppose there was a couple sitting in the coffee house kissing and making out? Would the rest of us be expected to put up with that? I know what my response would have been. "Get a room!"

P.S. Thanks to reader "Edman" who came up with the name for today's post.

© 2009 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com

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A Close Encounter of the Worst Kind

So, on Wednesday morning I'm sitting in one of the big comfy chairs at one of my regular stops on the café society circuit, The Good Cup on the Mesa. I've got my feet propped up on the ottoman and I'm reading the newspaper. The place is relatively quiet and life is good.

A woman, about my age comes over and plops down into the comfy chair next to me. She immediately whips out her cell phone and starts dialing a number. I'm thinking to myself, "I hope she's only calling her voicemail to pick up her messages." No such luck. Suddenly she's engaged in a loud conversation as she's seated right next to me.

Great, I sat down in a coffee house and a phone booth broke out.

I don't say anything for a couple of minutes, hoping that the conversation will be short. As the conversation goes on, I think to myself, "it's time to say something."

So I turn towards her, take a moment to make sure that she doesn't look like she's packing a heater or carrying a blade, and say, "excuse me, but could you go outside and finish your phone call?"

She looks pretty surprised, and says no, she's not moving and that she has the "right" to sit there and talk on her phone. I tell her that simply because she has the right to do something doesn't mean that it's polite to do it. She ignores me and starts telling the person on the other end of the phone conversation that someone has the nerve to hassle her about talking on her cell phone inside of a coffee house.

After a few more minutes the cell phone conversation ends. When it does I turn to her and say, "I just think you ought to know that you are a rude witch." (Okay, maybe I didn't say witch.)

She looks shocked. Starts saying something like, "how dare you talk to me that way!" I tell her that since she wasn't the least bit considerate of my comfort why should I be concerned about hurting her feelings?"

She gets up and walks to the counter in search of the manager, presumably to have me thrown out. I'm thinking, "Great. I'm 57 years old and someone is running to the teacher who is on yard duty to tattle on me."

She brings back Beth, the manager, who's astounded to see that of all people in the shop it's me that is the subject of the woman's complaint.

Beth does her Rodney King impression and asks, "Can't we all get along here?" She suggests that one of us might want to move to another seat. We both hold our ground.

Beth goes back to pumping cappuccinos leaving the two of us sitting there. After a couple of minutes the woman next to me loudly slams down her ceramic mug on the table in between us, and as she turns to walk out of the coffee shop says, "I'm sorry you're such a bitter old fart."

I guess one out of three isn't bad.

So, what do you think? Was I right to speak up or should I have held my tongue?

If she had simply been sitting there and answered an incoming call I don't think I would have said anything. But for some reason her taking the seat next to me and immediately whipping out her phone and making a call struck me as being incredibly rude. If she had plopped down and lit up a cigarette I certainly would have been entitled to say something. I found her making a call and talking loudly while doing so every bit as annoying.

I understand that there's a whole generation that sees nothing wrong with putting their business in the street and talking on their cell phones in restaurants and libraries, while ordering at the counter or while checking out at the grocery cashier. I've had students answer calls in the middle of class and think that there's nothing wrong with it.

How did we ever get to this stage? Maybe somebody should have spoken up?

© 2009 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com

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From the First Salvo to the Last Detail

With Travis Armstrong gone from the position of head meanie at the opinion section of the Santa Barbara News-Press I've been wondering, who might take his place?

Under Armstrong's watch, the opinion section of the paper was an angry, scolding and humorless place, inhospitable to differing opinions or a diversity of viewpoints.

Will it change when owner Wendy McCaw eventually gets around to hiring a replacement for Armstrong?

Since Armstrong departed, the paper has not run any editorials on its opinion pages. But it has published "guest opinions" in the space where editorials usually appeared.

There have been four of them so far. One was authored by Lanny Ebenstein. The rest were written by Terry Tyler.

Tyler is a retired CPA and was an unsuccessful candidate for Santa Barbara City Council having run in 2005, finishing sixth in a field of eight behind Dianne Channing.

So far, his writing has been pretty bland. If he wants the News-Press opinion job on a permanent basis, he's going to have to get more pissed off.

He's certainly capable of more provocative writing.

Earlier this year he wrote an article handicapping the mayor's race that appeared on Steve Cushman's website. The article described council member Helene Schneider as, "an avowed progressive who is backed by the usual assortment of big spending lobby groups including the now tainted Service Employee International Union."

Actually, there's a name for people like that around here. They're called, "Madame Mayor."

You'd think a guy who has been around as long as Tyler would know.

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KEYT is doing a "special assignment report" on people who take second jobs to make ends meet. Maybe they should do a story on people who don't get paid for all the hours they work on their first job?

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I say if the DA's office is serious about bringing Randy Quaid back here from Texas to face charges, they ought to hire Jack Nicholson to bring him in.

© 2009 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com

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