The Bay Area, including Napa-Sonoma wine country and the Santa Cruz Mountains, once again is under a Red Flag Warning today and tomorrow and possibly extending into Friday. A Red Flag Warning is an official National Weather Service bulletin to alert fire departments of the onset, or possible onset, of critical weather and dry conditions […]

Can you imagine the outcry on the right if Democratic Presidents had installed six Gay men on the Supreme Court? Republican closet cases like Auntie Lindsay Graham and Matt Pool Boy Gaetz would be howling for blood. The fagbashers in the proud boys would be torching gay bars. Franklin Graham, between whatever furtive sexual things […]

Heres how the radical Catholics on the Supreme Court arrive at judgments. First, they decide what they want the outcome of the case to be. Then, through sophistry, they figure out a way to justify that decision through existing law and precedent. As an example, Justices Alito, Thomas and Roberts (all Catholic, and who all […]

The LGBT community is understandably upset about Coney-Barretts impending entry onto the Supreme Court. A well-known Christian/Catholic fanatic, Coney-Barrett will join her fellow haters, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, in forming a solid triad that would punish homosexuals and take away all of their hard-earned rights. Nearly as fanatical are Ne...

A person near and dear to me whom I loveI wont say whotold me he finally bought himself a gun because hes afraid that Antifa/BLM are going to carry on after the election. What he meant by carry on is this: that if there is violence, in his opinion its going to be Antifa/BLM who […]

When I lived in the Green Mountains of Vermont the summers were long and warm but there was always a daya particular moment, actuallywhen unexpectedly the air let you know that winter wasnt far off. It could have been in October, a lovely afternoon except that, suddenly, the leaves on the maples rustle and a […]

Trump told the Proud Boys to Stand down and stand by. Stand down, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, is a specific command given to a military working dog (typically an attack dog such as a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois) in a dangerous situation: personnel protection or enemy pursuit. When the suspect is […]

At 7:58 a.m. this morning (Monday, Oct. 5), President Trumps personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, released the following statement: The President took a turn for the worse overnight. Shortly after midnight, hospital personnel noticed that his blood pressure had dropped precipitously. Entering the Presidential Suite to examine him, they found the Pr...

Its completely inappropriate to take pleasure in Trumps and Melanias positive testing for COVID-19. Only an amoral, hateful person would be glad to see two human beings fall ill with a dreadful disease. Did I just write the above? I did! But I had my fingers crossed the whole time, which is a pretty good […]

"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as […]...

Republicans and Catholics are complaining that Democrats hate Amy Coney Barrett and dont want her on the Supreme Court for a single reason: because shes Catholic. Were being mean to her, they say. Were not treating her fairly. Question: Was the Catholic Church fair to the hundreds of thousands of gay human beings it persecuted […]

To be honest, Dear Diaryand you know I always amI dont see where in the Constitution it says we have to have elections. I mean, Ive read through the whole damn thingwell, most of it anywaywell, a lot of itand I havent seen a single place where it says, You have to have elections. Its […]

Like many of you, Im super-downcast over the Supreme Court situation. I didnt blog yesterday because I was too depressed. For the same reason, Ive been staying away from watching the news on T.V. I cant even take MSNBC; the news is too infuriating. Just the sight of McConnells monstrous, chinless head makes me want […]

Part 2 Back in New Ellenton cousin Willie gave me heck. Reverend Dennison sure likes you a lot! he giggled, as we trudged our way through the slush of Lee Meadow heading up to the school. We was gonna meet some of our friends there and then do who knows what. I bet you gonna […]

Crockpot Holler is just a bend in the woods in southwestern South Carolina, hard by Crockpot Creek. Its 457 souls live mostly along Route 278, a two-lane blacktop that winds along the Georgia border from Bluffton up to New Ellenton, which is where Im from. I never would have had any reason to go to […]

Heres another stupid thing Trump just said and, typical for him, his words contain troubling meta-meanings. According to Axios, President Trump said in a press conference Wednesday that the U.S. coronavirus death toll is very low … if you take the blue states out. Lets think about that. Once upon a time, American Presidents thought […]

Oh my name it ain't nothin'My age it means lessThe country I come fromIs called the MidwestI was taught and brought up thereThe laws to abideAnd that land that I live inHas God on its side Bob Dylan The British journalist Robert Fisk, in his epic The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the […]

In politics, they say, timing is everything. Today, less than 50 days before the election, Trump is enjoying a spectacle of great pomp and historicity: the signing of a Mideast agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Of course, the timing is blatant: with this move, Trump not only cements the support of his […]

Today is an emotional down day. Polls tightening everywhere. 538 has Trumps disapprovals shrinking, his approvals ticking up, amidst reports hes making inroads with college-educated white and Latinx voters. Todays Chronicle has a headline Independents veering to GOP. Anecdotes say Trumps threat that Antifa will invade the suburbs is working. The an...

The small city of Piedmont is one of the richest in the Bay Area. The median household income is $212,000 a year. More than half the adult population earns over $200,000 annually. Piedmont sold the first $1 million home in the East Bay years ago, although today, a million bucks wont buy you much. Zillow […]

I led a very public life for a long time and, like most public figures, I was known by far more people than I personally knew, people who would watch me at public events and try to figure me out. I understood the rules of the game. When I was the F.W.C.the famous wine criticif […]

You know her only as a black-and-white photograph in your moms album, an old lady from a bygone era. But Rose was my grandma, your great-great grandmother on your mothers side, and she lives in my mind, as your own grandma will live in yours, until the end. It is right for us elderly to […]

Someone wrote on Facebook, Nothing good has happened in 2020 so far. I have to disagree. Here, in no particular order, are some good things that happened: Herman Cain died of COVID. Jerry Falwell, Jr. was caught in a sex scandal. Trump was impeached. Harvey Weinstein was convicted of sex crimes. Pete Buttigieg became a […]

Exactly forty years ago this month, history records, the first victim of the pandemicwhich as yet had no namedied in Copenhagen. Three years after the Copenhagen man died, in the summer of 1983, I met Jim. He was only 38, but looked twice as old. His spinal curvature made him look far shorter than his […]

Kimberly Guilfoyle is clearly nuts, as evidenced by her embarrassing Evita psychodrama at the Republican convention. But she had one thing right: California is becoming unliveable. But its not due to the things Guilfoyle lied about. Its not because of discarded heroin needles in parks or blackouts in homes and its not because of riots […]

I firmly believe that California is a lot redder than most people think, said a woman in a MAGA hat at a Trump rally in the state capital, Sacramento. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, an MSNBC reporter said that after talking with dozens of locals, she was convinced that most people here support Trump, and theyre glad […]

(MSNBC reports live on the election results with Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, Nicolle Wallace and Steve Kornacki at the Big Board) 11:42 p.m. RM: Were getting important results right now. Lets turn it over to Steve Kornacki. Steve? SK: Rachel, this may be the most stunning call weve ever made here at NBC. Were now […]

As I take my daily walk through Oakland, my thoughts turn to Trump supporters, who dont want their towns, cities and suburbs to turn into what Oakland has become. And I have to agree. Its sad and horrifying to see my adopted city of 34 years literally dying before my very eyes. All the accoutrements […]

(George and Martha Jefferson and Will and Caitlyn Johnson are neighbors in the wealthy, privileged community of Dexter Mills. Their large, well-appointed homes abut; their children play together. On this occasion, George and Martha are sitting with the Johnsons in their backyard on a warm Summer evening, sipping Chardonnay and snacking on smoked sa...

I can remember the late 1940s and early 1950s when we kids werent allowed to go swimming in public swimming pools because of the polio epidemic. That was my first experience with epidemics, and a few things I learned from it were (1) you have to take epidemics seriously because they kill people, (2) were […]

The Democratic candidates cant figure out how to respond to the looting, arson and vandalism that seem to accompany so many Black Lives Matter demonstrations in our cities. Meanwhile, the polls are tightening, as Trumps fear-mongering is convincing more and more voters that if Democrats are in charge, the riots will hit their home towns. […]

Ever hear of Vicky Osterweil? Me neither. But then I read this interview with her on National Public Radios website, and Ive now decided that Ms. Osterweil is certifiably nuts and needs to be called out. The Internet informs us that Vicky Osterweil is a writer, editor, and agitator and a regular contributor to The […]

If youve been following Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) in California, you know that this bill requires most independent contractors (such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers and most newspaper delivery persons) to be reclassified as actual employees, who would receive the same benefits (healthcare, retirement, overtime) as employees of businesses like banks ...

I nearly got killed stealing these plans from the DNC. The office was guarded by Antifa Lesbians, a nasty bunch if ever there was one. You do not want to tangle with those gals! The plan was developed at DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. after Trump won in 2016, when suburban housewives who switched from […]

Were learning more about the sexual escapades of the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Jr., following the shocking revelations of his orgies with his wife and at least one other man. Falwell, who reportedly resigned as president of Liberty University, has blamed the scandal surrounding him on self-righteous people. One of those apparently is 29-year old Giancarl...

Of course Im voting for the Biden-Harris ticket and will do so eagerly. But theres one aspect of Bidens political philosophy I disagree with: this unity myth. Biden promises to unify the country proclaims Yahoo News. Biden pledges to unite the country, headlines the Washington Post. The Chicago Sun-Times talks of Bidens message to unite […]

Presidential predictions are notoriously hard. They said Franklin Delano Roosevelt was finished politically after his 1920 defeat for Vice President and subsequent paralysis by polio. They said Harry Truman didnt have a chance in 1948. They said Ronald Reagan couldnt possibly be elected in 1980. They said Bill Clinton was a non-starter in 1996 beca...

Biblical. Thats how a Napa Valley friend describes the situation. Record-breaking heat, well above 100 for days on endplus the remnants of a tropical hurricane bringing weird, Florida-like humidity…hundreds of lightning strikes, setting off wildfires almost everywhere…widespread power outages as PG&E turns off the juice…and, l...

My mother, Gertrude, would have loved watching the Democratic national convention. She was a political junkie (it was from her I inherited the gene) and a yellow dog Democrat, having revered Franklin Delano Roosevelt and supported every Democratic nominee for President ever since. She also loathed, detested Republicans; one of my earliest memories ...

The Big Lie is on: the smear that the Biden-Harris ticket is some kind of uber-socialist radical Communist plot to destroy America. You see it on the official Republican twitter account, @GOP, with a reference to the former Republican governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, who retweeted it: With the selection of Kamala Harris as his […]

We drove down the coast road yesterday to San Gregorio Beach, south of Half Moon Bay, almost to Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day, even way out there on the coast, where usually, this time of year, its foggy and chilly. But the Bay Areayou may have heard, and you know for a fact […]

INTERNAL MEMORANDUM Campaign to Re-elect An Amazing President (CRAP) Subject: Kamala Harris We should be grateful to Sleepy Joe for picking such a weak, compromised candidate as Sen. Harris. We have been conducting Opposition Research on her for nearly six months, and have discovered a wealth of damaging facts. Among these are: Sen. Harris […...

I cry easily these days. Theres so much to cry about. The pandemic, and the lives upended, the economic pain its brought to so many of my friends and my city. And I cry because of Trump, and the stain upon our country and the presidency. Ive been reading biographies of great Presidents lately: Robert […]

One thing Ill say for the 1950s, it was a great time to be a kid in The Bronx. They were days of hundreds of friends, schools that actually educated us, and sports of every kind, for every season. They were safe days, when our parents didnt have to worry about their children getting shot […]

The Oakland Police Department just sent the community a notice: A large Black Lives Matter demonstration is planned for Saturday night. The notice said that OPD supports peaceful protests, but it warned demonstrators that after dark agitators might hide themselves among the larger crowd and wreck havoc downtown. Might? Try definitely will. And the ...

It didnt come as a surprise to me that digital revenue exceeded print for the first time ever at the New York Times during the second quarter of 2020. During those three months, the Times added 669,000 new online subscribers, compared with only 493,000 new subscribers to the papers print edition. (By the way, those […]

Not all groups are free to live and work where they please or to improve their conditions of life by their own efforts. Not all groups enjoy the full privileges of citizenshipThe Federal government has a clear duty to see that the Constitutional guarantees of individual liberties and of equal protection under the laws are […]

I was shocked and immensely saddened to learn of the death of Milla Handley, the co-owner and winemaker at Handley Cellars. We met a long time ago; I cant remember the year, but it was when I was working at Wine Spectator, so it must have been around 1990. It was my first trip to […]

Maxine sent me one of those funny lists that make the rounds on social media. This one was Commandments for Seniors. Number 4 was: Your people skills are just fine. It's your tolerance for idiots that needs work. By coincidence, someone told me yesterday that Old people get crotchety, she said, the remark clearly aimed […]