Feel Free to Email: comTedhick@gmail.

A Nation of Sheep  Breeds a Government of Wolves!

Wow! What A Show!

*“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forever more”…from a letter written by John Adams, July 3, 1776

            You dozen or so regular readers know I’m not much on the rah-rah stuff but there is a time for everything. We have been to every local fireworks show held in Dixon since like 1967. When Dixon didn’t have them we went to Davis or Travis. The one this past Monday was far and above (no pun intended) any other display ever presented locally. It was just plain spectacular with a mini-grand finale in the middle, and bigger explosions than usual, and it was spectacular…unlike Vacaville which paid $12,000 to NOT see abut 30 per cent of the 400 aired bombs…bomb. They were duds and the public in Cowtown was not happy…Maybe next year they should come to Dixon and stay for the show. Many of Cowtown’s folks came to Dixon to buy fireworks their city council still has outlawed. This is the same progressive city, which during a budget crunch, refuses to use volunteer firemen in its fire department…go figure…Can you believe the taxpayers would allow a self protecting, elitist fire department?

            The only thing that topped our show was all of the hundreds of little mini-shows throughout the city. My first wife Linda and I stopped at many to ask people what they thought, and to have them identify what they were shooting off. We had worked over 20 hours in the American Legion Auxiliary’s booth at Safeway on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. All members of the city council (except the mayor) came by the booth to see how things were going. We sold thousands of dollars of stuff and could only explain what each explosive did by reading the description provided by the fireworks company. We hadn’t actually seen one in use or set one off.

            We’re driving around the city and Linda says, “I’ll bet that’s one of those ‘Purple Rain’ things we sold so many of.” We stopped and it sure was. Everyone we talked to was excited, especially the kids. It was so neat to see either LEGAL fireworks going off or hanging clouds of smoke from a recent eruption on almost every street we traveled. Streets were blocked off, all kinds of parties were going on and mass little fireworks shows were going off and kids of all ages were just plain thrilled by the experience. The community basically has Vice Mayor Mike Ceremello to thank for the end to local probation against safe and sane fireworks. Through his doing and the backing of councilmen Dane Bassinette and Thom Bogue, (and once the majority of the council got their heads out of their butts) hundreds of families were thrilled to celebrate the fourth the way it was meant to be honored…*at least according to our founding fathers.

            According to Dixon Police Chief and acting City Manager, Jon Cox, “We appreciate the cooperation of the community and were generally pleased with the way things went.” He said they cited one person for illegal fireworks and confiscated other illegal ones. The police and fire departments teamed up and beefed up patrol from 6 pm until midnight. Even the police chief and Fire Chief, Aaron McAllister, teamed up (pretty cool huh?) and were also on patrol together… how would you like those two to come tooling into your driveway as you were shooting off bottle rockets?

            Any way, Chief Cox said there were “No injuries,” and “No fires” related to the sale of fireworks. He said they saw many parties and celebrations throughout the city. He added the PD only had three legal fireworks noise complaints but dozens of complaints about illegal ones. All and all he said things went pretty smoothly…and that’s a good thing…Mr. Mayor…are you listening?  Everyone else on your council and the vast majority of the public and local charities are happy…Your head still stuck somewhere? Ready to admit you were wrong? I’ll give you space here to explain your stance…either way.

True Story!

            A woman in one of those hot air balloons we see all the time here realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude going over Dixon and spotted a man working on a ranch below. She shouted to him, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.” The rancher consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 23 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

            She rolled her eyes and said, “You must be a Republican.  ”I am,” replied the rancher. “How did you know?” “Well,” answered the balloonist, “Everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”

            The rancher smiled and responded, “You must be an Obama-Democrat.” “I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?” “Well,” said the rancher, “You don’t know where you are — or where you are going. You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it’s my fault.”

TEACHER ARRESTED BY TSA

            A Dixon public school teacher was arrested today at the Sacramento International airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule, and a calculator.  At a morning press conference, Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement.  He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.

‘Al-Gebra is a problem for us’, the Attorney General said. ‘They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.’  They use secret code names like ‘X’ and ‘Y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns’, but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.  As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, ‘There are three sides to every triangle’.

            When asked to comment on the arrest, the President Obama said, ‘If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.’  White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President – It is believed that another Nobel Prize will follow.

One Sharp Guy There!

            Murphy, a furniture dealer from the Dixon area, decided to expand the line of furniture in his store, so he decided to go to Paris to see what he could find. After arriving in Paris, he visited with some manufacturers and selected a line that he thought would sell well back home. To celebrate the new acquisition, he decided to visit a small bistro and have a glass of wine. As he sat enjoying his wine, he noticed that the small place was quite crowded, and that the other chair at his table was the only vacant seat in the house.
 
            Before long, a very beautiful young Parisian girl came to his table; asked him something in French (which Murphy couldn’t understand); so he motioned to the vacant chair and invited her to sit down. He tried to speak to her in English, but she did not speak his language. After a couple of minutes of trying to communicate with her, he took a napkin and drew a picture of a wine glass and showed it to her. She nodded, so he ordered a glass of wine for her.
 
            After sitting together at the table for a while, he took another napkin, and drew a picture of a plate with food on it, and she nodded. They left the bistro and found a quiet cafe that featured a small group playing romantic music. They ordered dinner…after which he took another napkin and drew a picture of a couple dancing. She nodded, and they got up to dance. They danced until the cafe closed and the band was packing up.
 
            Back at their table, the young lady took a napkin and drew a picture of a four-poster bed. To this day, Murphy has no idea how she figured out he was in the furniture business.

Watch where you put your money.

As you open your pockets for the next natural disaster, please keep these facts in mind:
            The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans Salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses.
            The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.

            UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than five cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause
            The Salvation Army’s Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. About 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.

            The American Legion National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

No further comment is necessary. Please share this with everyone you can.

No Comments »

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) reminds people
enjoying the Lake Tahoe Basin to take precautions to avoid black bear
encounters. This area is prime black bear habitat, and many of these
wild animals are not afraid of humans. Recently, a bear had to be killed
after a man in his tent was injured as the bear tried to break in.

Bears are constantly searching for food, which humans inadvertently
make obtainable to them. It is important for everyone to avoid creating
odors that attract bears. They are attracted not only to food but also
perfume, cologne and containers that once held food.

“A bear’s fate is almost always sealed once it associates humans with
food,” said Marc Kenyon, DFG statewide bear program coordinator.
“It’s unfortunate when a bear becomes a threat and has to be
killed because people either haven’t learned how to appropriately
store food and trash, or simply don’t care.”

Last year DFG staff logged more than 5,200 hours handling black bear
nuisance calls in the Lake Tahoe region alone. Bears’ attempts to
obtain human food cause the majority of public safety incidents
involving bears. California’s growing black bear population is now
estimated at more than 30,000. DFG biologists have ramped-up staff and
study efforts to learn more about urban black bear trends while
providing increased public response throughout the Tahoe Basin. Black
bears are located in most of the state where suitable habitat exists and
bear-human encounters are not isolated to wilderness settings.

DFG wardens and biologists respond to numerous wildlife feeding issues
throughout the state. Access to human food or garbage, whether it is
overflowing from a campground or residential dumpster or in the form of
snacks in a tent, is the most common bear attractant. When wild animals
are allowed to feed on human food and garbage, they lose their natural
ways – often resulting in death for the animal.

Feeding wildlife or allowing wildlife access to human food provides
unnatural food sources, habituates animals to humans and can change
animal behavior from foraging for food in the wild to relying on human
food sources in or near urban areas, which can lead to bears breaking
into cars or houses to seek out food. It is also illegal to
intentionally feed wildlife in California. 

DFG’s Keep Me Wild campaign was developed in part to address the
increasing number of conflicts between black bears and people. The
campaign provides important tips for living and recreating safely in
bear habitat, and advice on what to do if you encounter one of these
wild animals. Please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/bear.html for more
information.

Bear Country Precautions:
●    Keep a close watch on children and teach them what to do if they
encounter a bear.
●    While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a
bear.
●    Never keep food in your tent.
●    Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an
airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle.
●    Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage
immediately after meals.
●    Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your
garbage in a secure location with your food.
●    Don’t bury or burn excess food; bears will still be attracted to
the residual smell.
●    Garbage should be packed out of camp if no trash receptacles are
available.
●    Never approach a bear or pick up a bear cub.
●    Do not attempt to attract a bear to your location; observe the
animal and take pictures from afar.
●    If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal,
make noise and try to appear as large as possible.
●    If attacked, fight back.
●    If a bear harms a person in any way, immediately call 911.

Biologists to Collect More Bear Teeth for Study and Data Collection

Bear hunters taking to the field this season, if successful, will need
to have their heads more closely examined. Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) biologists and wardens will require a tooth to be pulled from the
skull of each bear taken during the 2011 black bear hunting season that
will begin July 9.

This is a change from last year, when DFG only required that a tooth be
pulled from every other bear harvested during the season. The change
stems from a request by the California Fish and Game Commission, which
wants to take a closer look at the management of black bear hunting in
California. “We currently manage black bear hunting at a statewide
level, but we want to be doubly sure that we’re not negatively
impacting local bear populations,” said Marc Kenyon, DFG’s Bear
Program Coordinator.

The Commission is the deciding body for fishing and hunting
regulations. In 2010, a proposal to modify the number of bears legally
taken during the hunting season was closely scrutinized by Commission
members as well as the public. During the regulation setting process,
Commission members and the public voiced a desire to look at regional
bear hunt management.

Since 2005, a tooth has been pulled from half of the bears legally
taken during each hunting season. Current hunting regulations state that
the skull of any bear taken during the hunting season becomes the
property of DFG. Those portions not needed for scientific purposes are
returned to the hunter.

The teeth provide key insight into the bear population. A premolar is
pulled from the bear’s mandible and processed at a Montana laboratory
specializing in aging animals. The teeth are cut in half, stained and
examined under a microscope. Lab technicians can then count the rings,
called cementum annuli, which are deposited annually like tree rings.
The number of rings indicate the age of the bear. Reproductive events
can also be detected in female teeth.

DFG biologists use this information to monitor the bear population. The
age and gender data can be combined to produce a conservative population
estimate and establish other parameters. This information is then used
to inform the Commission when deciding new hunting regulations.

More tooth data will ultimately allow DFG to monitor bear populations
at the local level with better precision.

California’s black bear population is estimated to be higher than
30,000. Current hunting regulations allow up to 1,700 bears to be taken
during the hunting season. More information about black bear management in California can be found at
www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/bear/index.html.

No Comments »

This is going to be one of those musings where you are just going to have to do some thinking on your own.  Having to wear many hats, you have to be a little careful with what is said because of employment relationships.  As the relationship is terminated, and that point’s arrival was waited upon, the critique should be fair game.

Before that task is initiated, all of the citizens of Dixon need to comprehend what just occurred over this last weekend.  In a totally contrary manner, government, that is the city council of Dixon, actually gave you back a freedom despite all of the doomsday forecasts of conflagrations and misbehaving.

It was particularly satisfying driving around before and after the larger fireworks show down at Hall Park to see families, neighbors, and friends doing what we did as kids in the fifties and sixties.  One notable difference was that people were hosing off the streets and sweeping them after enjoying their own shows.  So much for young families not being personally responsible and accountable.

This, above even the return of the freedom to choose to participate, was about relationship building as in the knitting of a community.  Some neighbors who didn’t know those who lived next to them became acquainted while celebrating together.  Despite mayor Batchelor’s determined opposition and former police chief Rick Fuller’s seeming turnaround, they missed this larger point although at least Fuller may have figured it out at the end.

For those of you who don’t follow the chain of events, the council had to hold a special meeting just to allow additional shade structures around the fireworks’ booths.  Because of our bureaucratic, malevolent sign ordinance, the council also had to attempt to circumvent an effort to remove advertising by our “business friendly” city officials.

Now you tell me if this makes sense to you.  You can have fireworks stands with explosives with no required distance to parked vehicles but if you put up a “pop up”, a crafter’s tent, you must have 100 feet clearance.  Also, tents must be placed 20 feet apart according to the State fire code.  Luckily we have sneaky conniving people in town, some of whom are councilmen who hate big brother government, and we find ways around stupid laws.  All that is necessary is to “attach” the tent to the structure and it becomes part of the structure.

The impact doesn’t stop at firework’s booths.  From what Greg Lewis, our fire marshal, told us, Grillin’ and Chillin’ and the Mayfair would also be impacted by this asinine law.  Here’s a suggestion for the boys running the rib roast on July 23^rd: put up one booth made of two by fours and netting then simply attach the other purveyors’ booths with rope or even a length of lumber so that they are all part of the same “structure”.  As it is only “tents” that come under this ruling, finding a way to not meet the definition is certainly a way to evade the regulation.  All of this may be unnecessary as it appears those within our fire department are attempting to actually help this event go off without a hitch.

As for the oversized signs used to advertise the stands for all of one week, it looks like the sign ordinance will be back for some additional tweaking.  A great example of how our staff is either oblivious to the basics of marketing or intentionally attempting to be “business unfriendly” while bold-faced lying to the council and the public, the removal and return of the large A-frame signs proved a point.  Sales more than doubled at the Safeway location when the signs were returned.  Do you need a college degree to deduce the obvious?

Hard to believe we got legal fireworks back in town and on July 5^th the town was still standing.  In fact, no fire engine sirens were heard on the 4^th.  Next thing you know, even Darth will be able to figure out he made a wrong decision in voting against giving a similar freedom of choice to those who believe in “herb”-al medicine.  Scare tactics need to be discerned for being exactly that …

Our city manager is gone and headed to the county as the assistant chief administrative officer with a nice bump in pay.  Considering the amount of venom unleashed from this fountain pen on past employees, you must wonder why you have heard so little.  There are two reasons.

First is the obvious accusation of creating a hostile work environment.  While it seems that those higher up the bureaucratic food chain, such as district librarian Greg Atkins, are immune to this accusation because it means the death knell to the underling whistle blower’s employment, it nonetheless occurs far too often in politically charged work environments.

The second reason is the superior management technique of not overly criticizing your employee in public.  It is also a matter of being a member of governance by committee.  There are always those in denial of the facts, facts which have been witnessed first hand and which can be left to your interpretation.

The praise for Nancy Huston is misplaced.  What exactly was accomplished during her time in the position of city manager?  Was she a top flight negotiator or simply another pig at the trough protecting her own swill?  Touted as a top financial expert, did her budgets make any more sense than her predecessors?

Let’s see.  Pardi Market site lot was fenced and graveled but no money was found to develop the city’s portion of it.  Yet she found money to shuffle from another account to pay the notes on the fire and police stations which were intended to be funded by new development.  Salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid from redevelopment funds when no projects were being performed.

The core area drainage project was begun.  We were told there was no money for that either.  When told to find a way to creatively finance the project, Huston whined about not borrowing money.  Royce Cunningham came up with a solution in less than a month.  The point is Huston as well as her predecessor Salmons weren’t interested in doing things for the community as much as preserving the general fund for salaries.

There was a reason Huston didn’t want to see salaries cut other than through furlough days which preserves the basis for determining retirement benefits.  This was also one of the reasons she left.  The handwriting was on the wall once Fluffy Cayler was gone.  A balanced budget, where 80% of the expenses are salaries and benefits, has to be balanced by cutting either or both.  The fact is Huston never did balance a budget, she promoted drawing down reserves.

There is an old saying when playing a four handed card game when your partner lets you down: “It’s hard to win playing against three.”  Without divulging closed session specifics, it was probably harder negotiating with the council’s negotiator than dealing with the labor units.  It all comes down to knowing your place.

As the council is the policy making body, arguing against the majority position except as a member of the council is inappropriate and self aggrandizing.  Maybe the mayor can’t figure that out as he was in her camp with the same ideology, but those who look beyond the details and into the impetus behind certain statements have no trouble at all understanding the obvious.  The fox was in charge of the hen house.

It would be a relief to be rid of such an antagonistic person if her presence was really an irritation in the first place.  Hopefully this is an end to the legacy of mismanagement brought into Dixon by twelve years of “the Queen” and her successor the Prince of Fools.  We have lost some good, talented members of staff, such as the sometimes confrontational but always thinking Cunningham, but we have seen many problem children eliminated as well with little impact on the lives of most of us.

It was common knowledge among those in Dixon who had connections throughout the State that Huston bad mouthed at least two councilmen during her interviews.  Perhaps the problem wasn’t the councilmen but the lessons she learned while in Fairfield under the tutelage of Kevin O’Rourke.  These old school managers actually believe they are supposed to be in control and not the councils for whom they work.  Those days are dead, at least for the next two years.

Anyone applying for the vacant position in Dixon better be damned well aware of that …

* * * * *

The supervisors of Solano County did not disappoint on Wednesday when they voted to reconstruct the fourth and fifth districts with Barbara Kondylis and Linda Seifert opposing the move.  Dixon has now been moved into the fourth district of John Vasquez and Mike Reagan retains the area south of Midway Road and picks up all of the Travis Air Force base housing.

As Reagan is a retired “lieutenant colonel paper pusher” as one speaker put it, and not a combat hardened veteran, it makes sense for a consolidation and addition to a known base of support.  As most of Dixon does not like Reagan, and voted against him in the last election, this also led to this decision in the face of his next year attempt at re-election.

A message needs to be sent to both Reagan and Vasquez.  Political ploys for personal gain on the backs of 20,000 citizens are not appreciated nor will they be tolerated.  Not being able to run against the man does not mean he can’t be campaigned against personally and vociferously.

As for Johnny Boy, you may have thought you did a good job representing Dixon after Skip Thomson left for the assessor’s position, but you might need to talk to other than your supporters, the monied interests of the county.  It is appreciated that you read this column for enlightenment, education, entertainment or all of those but ignoring its logic is going to cost you.  Please tell us what you actually accomplished in this rural area of the county that was beneficial to the agricultural interests you say you are so well connected to.

The statement made at the meeting stands.  “Both Mike Reagan and John Vasquez are probably good men.  I just don’t want either of you representing me.”  Neither of you understand personal freedom or condone taking our county as well as our nation in that direction.  Your liberal “progressive” nanny state is on its last legs and will collapse.

You have created too many dependents and not enough producers.  You don’t have a clue or the ability to alter this system.  You, both John and Mike, need to “get out of the way” as John Galt offered as the solution to governmental meddling destroying both individualism and free market capitalism.  Quit going along with failed Keynesian plots and the socialist redistribution of wealth schemes that should be anathema to those who watched their parents build businesses through personal determination and intense personal labor.

If you have a hard time comprehending any of this, the next time you are in Dixon it can be explained to you in detail.  I don’t mind having a beer with you, but you might have to pay for my instruction …

No Comments »

Feel Free to Email: Tedhick@gmail.com

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself…John Stuart Mill

New SMSgt Kevin Shane of Dixon is seen being re-enlisted the USAF by Maj. Karrina DeGarmo.

Tyrants Still Exsist 

      For those out of the local political loop (which is at least 95 per cent of our current population I’m afraid) you need to be brought up-to-date on what your local officials are doing which affects hundreds of local charity volunteers this holiday weekend.

 The community and the fireworks folks wanted four fireworks booths(this first year they were re-legalized) to make sure they had the volunteers to man the booths for the seven 13 hour day staffing. Most organizations were going to share the work load and profits with other organizations. Instead your brilliant city council lead by the Great Dane Bassinette, (with Mayor Batchelor and Councilman Fuller absent) voted to spread out eight booths throughout this little city, doubling the manpower needed and halving the profits to be made by the venture.The vote was 3-0 with the mumbling Great Dane, Vice Mayor Ceremello and Bogue agreeing to the stupid plan.

Your Mayor, Batchelor, (pictured above in suit) who has been opposed to you having the right to use safe and sane fireworks right from the get go, along with the fire department, has become a nasty adversary of the public volunteers and the non-profit groups in our community. He and the fire department have even gone so far as to not allow shade tents to be erected to give the volunteers some relief from the 100  degree heat…the Mayor capped off this spiteful revenge by laughing and saying at the council meeting Tuesday, referring to volunteers suffering in the heat, “That’s the price of doing business.”There’s also a price for abusing the people who voted you into office isn’t there? Not one elected official really stood up for the non-profits…go figure. Ceremello since asked for a special emergency meeting to be held  last night(Thursday) to try to and right the wrong…hopefully you’ll see shade when you come to buy your explosives. (Dixon Toys for Tots volunteers will be working with the American Legion Aux. booth at Safeway all day Saturday and I invited all of our elected officials to come down and help out…like that’s going to happen. Hey guys, there’s two shifts, 9 to 3 and 3 to 10 pm. The mayor should be there to see what the cost of doing volunteer, local charity work really is. Come on down on Saturday and buy stuff to benefit both the Legion Aux and Toys for Tots.)

     Now to make maters worse “the city” ordered the signs advertising fireworks sales around town to be taken down. The sign by the Safeway gas station was removed after it was announced it help sell more than $2,400 worth of firework the first day…in the rain…with many people from out of town and out of state stopping by the Safeway location because of a fireworks sign by the gas station. Other smaller signs remain in the same area where the fireworks sign was taken down…WTF?

            You know the old say; power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely? On a local level sometimes authority goes to the heads of those left unchallenged. The public wanted fireworks. The public, like 19 non-profit groups, applied for a chance to sell them. Organizations from girl’s softball, to churches to a veteran’s organization have booths and hundreds of volunteers giving up their holiday weekend (in 100+ degree weather) to work to make this community better. What is your mayor and city council doing…everything it can to work against a program the group itself allowed. No shade, no signage, no cooperation. They should be ashamed.

            Always the gentleman, and one who shows compassion for positive actions, acting city manager/police Chief Jon Cox said, “We always want to work with our non-profit anyway we can.” He added the city of course must work within the law, “But I will be speaking to staff and the city council to see if there is anything that can be done about the situations.” Him I trust to do whatever he can to work FOR the people of this community…the rest of these yahoos…not so much.

NRA Dinner & Game Club BBQ

          Solano County Friends of the NRA dinner banquet will be held next Saturday, July 9, at 6:00 pm.  The cost is $50 per ticket and they can be purchased at Dixon Power Equipment 645 North First Street or call Ed at 678-2777.

         The Dixon Game Club is having a membership drive and free BBQfor the general public. The BBQ will be at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, July 12, at the Dixon Game Club building 250 West Mayes street (the little building right behind the Post Office). Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, beans and drinks will be served.  Then at 6:30 pm they will have their July meeting.  For information call the game club headquarters 678-9155 and leave a message someone will get back to you.

The Bestest Reunion Ever?

          There will be a “best ever” Dixon High School all 70′s class reunion (70-79) on Sat. Sept. 17th. at the Mertz ranch in Winters.  Cost is $50 per person. You can help out. There’s a long list of lost classmates for which they need an address. For additional information and to RSVP, contact Debbie Conley ’71′ deconley1@sbcglobal.net or 707-322-9139 , Susan Turner-Callaghan Watt ’70′ swatt@sbcglobal.net. or Mike Gloege ’73′ at 1pinkman@sbcglobal.net.

HowDoYouTell Him?

Greg Saves Kid From Lion

          A Dixon Harley biker dude is riding by the zoo in San Francisco when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker, Greg, jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.
         A San Francisco reporter from has watched the whole event. The reporter addressing the Harley rider says, ‘sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve seen a man do in my whole life.’  The Harley rider replies, ‘Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right.’  The reporter says, ‘Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page…So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?’ The biker replies, ‘I’m a U.S. Marine and a Republican.’ The journalist leaves. The following morning the biker buys the paper to see news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:

 
U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS

AFRICAN IMMIGRANT

AND STEALS HIS LUNCH

 That pretty much sums up the main stream media’s approach to the news these days. Nice to see an independent voice huh?

No Comments »