For 3rd District Supervisor: Doreen Farr

I encourage you to take a closer look at Steve Pappas accomplishments and track record as a community leader. This county does not need more political puppets. We need people that know how to solve problems and work together regardless of political party or idealogical beliefs. I think that many residents are tired of this left/right power struggle bull that results in a lot of wasted time and taxpayer money. If we want to see things get better we need real leaders like Steve Pappas that will look at each issue objectively and make the right decisions. Pappas is not supported by out of town developers, he is not supported by a long list of politicians, he is supported by citizens that have seen him at work as a community leader, school board president, and business owners. He turns things around and solves problems while others are just trying to figure out how to get started. If you are concerned like I am about the current across the board budget cuts that county CEO Mike Brown is making, then you should give serious consideration to electing someone with real executive experience like Steve Pappas.

I don't expect ANYONE to like what I'm going to say, but I'm saying it anyway.

Even if the odious campaign TV commercial weren't enough to make me NOT vote for this candidate (her kid was playing in the street and got hit by a car, so she demanded more traffic regulations. Well...how about not letting your kid play in the street, for starters?), the fact that she is in bed with Salud Carbajal and Janet Wolf pretty much seals the deal for me.

These two busybodies are part of the animal rights zealot freak show who want to force me to subject my animals by law to gonadectomy surgery. I will not be allowed to choose; they will make this choice FOR me, by making it law, because some people dump their pets at shelters instead of taking responsibility for those animals and keeping them, even when the pets get old, sick or heaven forbid...it's inconvenient to keep them.

Because I believe that I, not the government, am best qualified to choose my own medical care and that of my pets, I don't want these people in office.

That means I want Salud Carbajal, and Janet Wolf gone, for starters, and Doreen Farr to perhaps spend some more time watching her own child, instead of passing laws forcing everyone else out here to do it for her.

This is not why I marched in equal rights protests and engaged in decades of activism on behalf of personal freedom for ALL. I don't want these people in my business, telling me what to do, how to think, and how to care for my animals or to make my medical decisions for me. I am not responsible for Doreen Farr's child; she's a grownup, therefore SHE is responsible for her child, as is any other responsible parental unit in the child's life.

Nattering on about how she forced new laws on folks because of her own negligent parenting skills does not make her a good candidate for office, it makes her yet another politician looking to abdicate personal responsibility and encouraging the same behavior in everyone else going forward.

I'll take care of my family, thanks....including my pets. I don't need Carbajal, Wolf and Farr at my door and in my business doing it for me.

"We're from the government and we're here to help you".

It's amazing to what depths people will stoop when their candidate lacks substance and is trailing badly. Attack politics has become the national sport, and we are all the victims.

If you want to highlight your candidate's strengths, fine. But to make up issues that Doreen Farr has never addressed and to attack her child when you don't know the facts - well, that identifies you as a political "hit man", not as someone with any credibility or interest in the truth. As such you are assassinating not only the character of a good an noble person who has put herself out there for the sake of the community; you are assassinating the democratic process itself.

Sheesh, no wonder it's so hard to get good people to run for office!

We should be careful what we wish for. The policies of Farr's sponsor for this position Gail Marshall to rezone over 350 square miles of farmland in the name of preservation is the pre-cursor to the kind of development that can be seen in the San Fernando Valley. (Rezone the large ranches 1000 acre plus from current 100 acre parcels (1 home per 100 acres) to 320 or 640 acre (1 home per 320 or 640 acres). This devalues land. If Rancher wants to sell a piece of property to pay some bills, or transfer it to another family member their 1,000 acre ranch just went from 10 potential parcels to 1 or 2 with the new zoning. Rancher ends up selling out to large developer for cheap. Developer petitions county to rezone the property to a much higher density, and that is how you get San Fernando Valley in Santa Ynez and Orange County on Gaviota Coast. Why did this flawed re-zone not go through? Steve Pappas!

Also think that we need to get past looking at how many government jobs someone has had and how many other politicians support them to decide whether or not they are the best candidate for the job.

Smyser has held many city and county positions, however has failed to complete any of the terms. Does this make him qualified?

Doreen was involved in Goleta Cityhood. Goleta's revenue sharing agreement with the county, is considered to be one of the worst negotiations in the State.

Smyser is backed by some of the largest developers around and has received some very large campaign contributions from them.

Carbajal and Capps are pouring their campaign funds into Farr's campaign.

How about voting for a non-partisan like Pappas who is focused on making positive change, and real progress not continuing a decade long power struggle between left and right. I would bet that when it comes to local issues the majority of us whether we live on the coast or in the valley agree on much more than we disagree on. Let's get past this partisan charade, and vote for a candidate who is truly interested in representing the people of the entire district.

"We're from the government and we're here to help you".

Hmmmm... Thats what they said to the Indians and looked what happened to them......

Pappas has said that he is independent and that he is " beholding to no political force or political machine, I will be accountable only to the people."

Uh... Pappas is the founder of POLO which has dogged the Chumash on just about every level of thier exisitence and his campaign is basically funded by that group .. he received $10,000 from Terri Harmon and $5,000 from Jon Bowen of Santa Ynez, and $5,000 from Bowen's company, Noosa Corp. Both of these people have been a few of the most vocal critics of the Chumash.

Pappas has said that “My argument is not with the Indians and their community, but with the BIA."

Yet this group, which he founded criticized the tribes charitable gifts, attacked the commemorative signs along Hwy 154, and hired an “expert” to write an op-ed that questions the Chumash’s legitimacy as a Federally recognized tribe as well as the reservation itself.

Those actions have nothing to do with the BIA and everything to do with the Chumash people.

Pappas is a candidate with a very specific personal agenda and represents a very small radical group in the Santa Ynez Valley.

You want someone with the experience and who is truly independent and has absolutley no baggage? Victoria Pointer.

She will truly represent EVERYONE in our district and has the experience to do it with.

markjames comment is another example of a political hatchet job, calling Marshall a "sponsor" and attributing to Farr everything that Marshall might or might not have done. In fact Farr repeatedly has testified in support of preserving agriculture.

Another big lie that doesn't get any more truthful in its repetition is about Farr's role in Goleta's revenue neutrality agreement. Farr was simply a supporter of cityhood. She had NOTHING to do with negotiating the agreement. And she has publicly committed to renegotiating it when she is elected Supervisor.

Is your candidate Pappas so unqualified that you must make up stories and issues about others. Don't you have enough confidence in Pappas's own record and abilities to stand on those. Have you no shame?

First of all Frog, when I made the comment I had no idea it was earmarked for the Indians. It's a sarcastic term describing one's discontent for government meddling at all levels. Think how this term applies in so many other areas.

For the record: I have no idea who I am going to support at this point. I will vote on the basis of whose ideology matches mine--which is how we all vote. (Being imperfect beings that we are) As for POLO, what they are concerned about is the expansion of the Casino. One can sit down and debate whether or not POLO's concerns are justified, but when I hear people playing the race card and saying they are attacking them because they don't like the "Chumash", that's laughable, because if you run D.N.A. tests, you'll find there is little Chumash blood in most of these people. On the other hand, some people are making a lot of money off the Casino so of course they will play up their "Chumash" heritage.

My big concern (for whatever its worth) is that S.B. county doesn't end up looking like L.A., but it seems no matter who we vote in, the inexorable juggernaught of growth and trafffic and crime continues.

The fact that some people dare to bring up criticism against candidates of any political ideology does not make them hit men or hired hands, it just means that they bring their perspective to the debate. The job of those who support the candidates who are being criticized is to either refute the criticism, or examine their own reasons for supporting that candidate.

The ignorance of your statement is what’s laughable as you deny racial discrimination but in the very same sentence call for DNA testing to determine how much Chumash blood they have or, using the correct term, “blood quantum”.

Throughout Native history blood was never a factor in determining who was or was not included in a tribe. Many Native American tribes adopted non-tribal members and over time they became fully functioning members of the group. These included members of neighboring tribes, white settlers, or members of enemy tribes.

These new members would often be bestowed with some of the same prestige and duties of original tribal members. The fact that the adoptee was sometimes of a different ethnic origin was of little importance to the tribes. It wasn’t about blood. It was about who you were and living the culture, speaking the language and passing down the history to next generations. This is what made a member of a tribe.

Blood quantum involving Indians began with guess who… the good old Federal Government. It was the Dawes Act of 1887, which was designed to take away the original land owned by the Indians. They decided if you had ¼ blood you would get 160 acres. 1/8 blood .. 80 acres.

Guess how they decided that.

The white Washington agents sent out to make these rolls went by ….looks. They didn’t have the medical tools to determine blood. They went by looks.

Pure and simple… racial profiling.

There is no other group in America who is ever asked who they are by how much blood or have to carry a card around with them to show how much blood they have.

Now for your DNA test request.

First, Native American DNA tests examine only a small proportion of the test taker’s DNA. Most tests fall into one of two categories: mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests and Ychromosome tests. MtDNA tests examine DNA that is inherited only from one’s mother (and her mother, and her mother before her...). Y-chromosome tests examine DNA that is passed down from grandfather to father to son (and so on).

These tests examine less than 1% of the test taker’s DNA, and shed light on only one maternal or paternal ancestor. So, even if a person’s grandparents were Native American except for thier mother’s mother, a mtDNA test would still fail to detect Native American ancestry.

Native American DNA tests do not provide foolproof answers to questions of Native American ancestry.

It boils down to this… while a DNA test would indicate the presence some degree of native american genetics, there is no way for a DNA test to prove that a person decended from a particular Indian tribe let alone how much blood or blood quantum of a particular tribe one may have.

So before, you make anymore statements… do your homework..

Your comments remind me of another Government that used blood quantum as a scientific, government-approved method of determining blood purity and race purity.

Hitlers Nazi Germany….

Frog states: "Throughout Native history blood was never a factor in determining who was or was not included in a tribe."

Frog also states: "Hitlers Nazi Germany…."

OK Frog, since you feel so strongly about that last statement, why don't you seek out Elie Wiesel or any other death camp survivors and tell THEM that...I'm sure they would be very impressed by your analogy.

As for the first statement of yours that I quote: Does that mean I can get in on this deal and get money so I can build my own Casino (regardless of the impact it has on crime and traffic) and make millions off of it? THAT (the $$$) is what some of us dare to point out.

Sorry Frog, I'm not some weak-willed politician who will cave in at your childish behavior of calling anyone who dares to point out the facts that people are using their heritage to glom onto the lucrative Casino enterprise a Nazi. The thing I'm pointing out is VERY different from genuine anthropological studies related to science.

By the way, David Crosby point out in his autobiography his opposition to Casino expansion (And again the disclaimer: The concern may or may not be justified) so I guess he's a Nazi too eh? (Funny how those Liberals become so racist late in life)

In the marketplace of ideas, you have to come up with facts, as opposed to libeling people by throwing number at them.

OK, I will add one last thing: I'm half Assyrian. Google "Assyrian Genocide" since you're so fond of victim ideology. Are any of these people half Chumash? In other words, most if not all of us have a history of our ancestors being persecuted. The point of the 60's civil rights movement was to guarentee equal treatment of all people, NOT to tell one group it was morally superior to another and entitled to special treatment at the expense of others.

So am I entitled to get my own Casino?

BillClausen....don't waste your energy on Frog....he has his own little world he lives in where when you have no case, you play the race card and dare anyone to dispute you.

He has no case, he knows it, so out comes the "Chumash" race card...and the rest of us must now all it down, be quiet, and hand over all the land in the valley to people who are A: Not Chumash and B: have found a real handy way to extort land and money out of the rest of us.

Nice work...if you can get it. Wonder if I could get away with it?

You're right Holly, but I'll add one point: In case Frog (or anyone else) actually thinks I am calling for D.N.A. testing let me make it clear that I am not. I used it as a figure of speech. I said it only to make the point that if such a test were performed, the amount of Chumash blood would be minimal. Also, I never said there is no racism, I only said that in this case the issue as presented is not about race but about the fears people have about the influence a Casino is having on the quality of life in the place they live. If one wants to debate this issue with one of the POLO representatives, then let that debate take place in a media forum. I think it would be very interesting to see both sides be given equal time-and ample time at that--to present their arguments. What would be wrong with that?

If there is a pattern of discrimination in housing, jobs, or other areas of life occurring today because one is of Chumash descent, then why are those people being victimized not filing grievences? Even if such discrimination is taking place (And maybe it is, maybe it isn't) does that justify the issue of the Casino?

I joked about David Crosby becoming a racist in his latter days because the fact is Crosby is very liberal in his politics and of course has NO history of racism so my serious point here is that if HE is concerned about this Casino's influence, (And a visit to his website will show he's very anti-Bush/Republican) then that proves it isn't part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

I remember back in 1973 being told by a guide on a school field trip that the last full-blooded Chumash had died long before. (As I recall, it had been several decades) The Casino makes a fortune, and as such is in a position to influence politicians so its a case of "follow the money". I'll use the tacky analogy of it not being about skin color, but the color of money. People stand to make a lot of $$$ out of this and when some of us point this out the race card gets pulled. The Casino is like any other major development project--fraught with politics and people who are not willing to admit the down side of such development be it a shopping mall, housing project, or in this case, a Casino.

As I say, I'm not some politician who is going to try to placate those who have a twisted sense of entitlement or a twisted sense that they are somehow the standard bearers of social and racial justice.

The Holocaust death toll was about 6 million.

Over four centuries, from the 1500 to 1900, the North American Indian population went from an estimated 12 million down to 237,000.

Historians have called this a "vast genocide . . . , the most sustained on record" and that Native Americans had undergone the "worst human holocaust the world had ever witnessed, roaring across two continents non-stop for four centuries and consuming the lives of countless tens of millions of people."

Historians have also stated that "there can be no more monumental example of sustained genocide—certainly none involving a 'race' of people as broad and complex as this—anywhere in the annals of human history."

So, if you see Mr. Wiesel, feel free to ask him about the analogy.

Your lack of perspective, knowledge of Native American history and the laws that have led up to the creation of Indian gaming seems to be the common thread for the people in your camp.

All you guys see is a Tribe in our valley, making a ton of money by operating a casino, and believing that somehow these Indians, who you believe aren’t really Indians at all, were the ones who created the rules by which this has occurred. You hold them responsible for something your government allowed to happen.

For 108 years the Chumash have been playing at the US Government poker table. The rules of the game were created by the Government. They lived in poverty. Then 20 years ago, playing by the rules they did not create, they finally got a winning hand. They won big time.

Do you think they should have looked at that hand and folded? Do you think they should have said to themselves, “ No. We shouldn’t take this opportunity to pull ourselves out of poverty and create a better life for our children.” What would you have done?

If you have a beef with the Casino, take it to Washington and Sacramento..that is where the people are, along with the voters of this state, who have allowed the casino to be built in our valley and where expansion decisions will be made.

You are thoughts are convoluted and you mix two trains of thought when you talk about being a Nazi and having concerns over casino expansion. It shows how desperate you are to defend your previous statements.

Anyway, I don’t put too much stock in person like David Crosby who calls the tribe a bunch of thugs who bring drugs into the valley, then gets busted for drugs and illegal possession of weapons. What a hypocrite.

You also state how non-racist a person he is.

He said, ”And frankly, if you want to see them blanch and then get really mad, start talking about DNA testing for who's really an Indian and who isn't. If the guy who's running the tribe here has any Indian blood in him at all, it's a miracle."

That’s pure bigotry Mr. Clausen.

BTW… I am not an Indian as stated above, and do not want to see a humongous casino expansion.

For Mr Clausen and Holly...

The biggest mistake you people make is thinking that the Chumash get to have a casino just because they are Indians. You see it as a special right given to a particular race of people.

If you can get the following concept straight in your mind, it will lead you to a greater understanding of why and how the Chumash have a casino.

The unique political status of American Indian tribes is not racially based.

American Indians are separate from "minority" groups or "people of color" because of their political status as nations.

American Indians are separate nations, not minorities.

The United States negotiated treaties with American Indian nations through the nineteenth century and continues to negotiate various agreements today.

These treaties and political agreements are not based on the racial status of American Indians but solely on political status, creating the basis for the nation-to-nation relationship.

Leading legal scholar Felix S. Cohen has wrote, "In dealing with Indians, the federal government is dealing with members or descendants of political entities, that is, Indian tribes, not with persons of a particular race."

One of the fundamental rights of American Indian nations is to establish and regulate tribal citizenship or enrollment. Citizenship is a critical issue for all nations because citizens form the foundation of the nation.

American Indian nations establish citizenship requirements and practices within their constitutions.

Nearly one-third of tribes populating the lower 48 states have rejected blood quantum and instead use a variety of requirements including lineal descent or residency

I am still hung up on the Doreen Farr not a responsible parent comment while all you have is a dog? Now Holly, what in the heck is that? Were you there when the accident occurred? Do you have a clue what happened? Any idea how turning your head for an INSTANT with a kid can cause big problems? You cannot watch them every instant of the time. It would be nice, but not possible. Any idea that there is team work involved in raising a child? Who was watching the kid at the time? You comments are way short sighted when it comes to raising a child. It is nothing like raising a pet. Please, write me back and tell me you have kids? Maybe the driver was a jackass? Hmm? Never see that around town, in school zones. Quit nattering and go get yourself a lemon badge.

Gonadectomy? You mean spay or neuter your pet? Hmmm, spend much time out at the animal shelter after the influx of puppies that come from people who are tired of them, or school lets out and someone has to move? Your statement that you are better than the govt at making personal decisions thing is a great statement. Good for you. You are socially/civically responsible, but is everyone else? Or are these rules necessary so that the rest of us don't have to clean up after all those who are less responsible's mess? Mind you, blues lines painted across the city, and the door to door dog license searches seem a little weird, but you are really lumping and firing off blanket statements.

Now my statements: Gambling: Now there is a great way to contribute to society. Throw a philanthropic bone out there once in awhile and then people will lay off you. Maybe we can build some opium dens and tax them and say they are contributing to the economy and that people owe because of bunch of really bad decisions made 100 years ago. I think everyone should have an egg timer duct taped to their fore head and they get 1 hour a week max in the casino, and they have to pay a 10 dollar school tax entrance fee to get in. NO tabs. Ask Charles Barkley about that one. When the timer buzzes, you fall thru a trap door and are whisked off to the bank to cash out. Then you can't come back till next week.

Gambling has been around since the beginning of time and will I am sure once we have all left this earth gambling will still be around. It is part of the human nature to gamble.

85% of the American population think gambling is ok. They see it as a form of entertainment. You dont want to gamble? Fine.

Are their problem gamblers? Sure. Just as their are problem drinkers. Problem drinkers outnumber problem gamblers by a huge margin and the devastation on their lives is triple fold compared to problem gamblers.

Should we outlaw alcohol to save these people???

Its the classic holier than thou syndrome. I know whats moral for you and I will seek to enforce my beliefs on you.

Yes the same with prostitution. I am not holier than you; I just think too many are not responsible enough to control themselves on many issues. As the world fills up, unfortunately I think more issues arise from a lack of responsibility and the “me first, screw the rest of you” attitude prevalent in American society. Am I holier than thou or are you for thinking that since you can control your urges, the rest of the public can too?

Uh,,, you are putting words in my mouth... did I ever say that I thought that everyone could control thier urges?

No.

Its not a perfect world, and neither are the humans in it.

You cant save em all from themselves and if you want to regulate society to try and do it, then you would make a great communist,

Frog writes "The Holocaust death toll was about 6 million."
From most of the accounts I've read, it was 11 million. 6 million Jews died and another 5 million people the Nazis deemed defective or enemies of the state so actually the numbers are about the same but I won't give into your desire to get off topic about HOW MANY were killed. Of course, there were many more civilian deaths that could have been deemed collateral damage. I didn't realize this was a contest for who could claim more numbers killed but if you are so fond of numbers, at least get it right.

I am not here to deny what American Indians/Native Americans (or whatever is the proper description du jour since when talking of ethnic groups we can never seem to decide which term is politically correct) went through. I knew--as I think we all did--what happened to those people who lived in the Western Hemisphere prior to European arrival once the Europeans arrived so for whatever it's worth, the overall lession you impart is by no means a new one, so don't assume that those who do not agree with your views on the Casino are ignorant of past history. We simply disagree on how to chart FUTURE history.

Citing genocide does not address the issue of the Casino in the Valley.

Having read your posts it's clear that you will simply not address the points I've raised and throw arguments to the fore guaranteed to appeal to the emotions of those seeing your comments. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were a lawyer in a courtroom trying to discredit me by getting me off topic while defending your client.

Back to the subject at hand: The topic here is about Doreen Farr and those running for office and how their policies will affect people. The Casino is a contentious political issue in Santa Ynez Valley which is relevant to the upcoming election. As I said before: If you are so confident in your argument, perhaps you should challenge POLO to a public debate.

I'll let you rant and rave, throw your numbers and statistics around, try to get me to go off the topic with you, and call me or anyone who doesn't agree with you a racist and a bigot.

My advice to you is that you need to separate the two issues, and to realize that doing so does not make either of them less important.

Don't forget that if you don't agree with Frog, you are a communist too. Yes, and if I am a communist, and I if support a candidate then that candidate is bad and we will all burn in hell..... blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Yes, this 3rd district seat is really a hotseat because you have VERY conserivative and VERY liberal beliefs in the district, a casino, a college, Frog, Holly, BillClaussen and Me. Hopefully the campaigns don't degrade into mudslinging and who ever gets elected does the right thing. HOPEFULLY.

LOL... you bring up all this stuff, I do adress it, then you say I am trying to take you off the topic.. ok... I guess you need to save face anyway you can I guess...

Your the one who expounded on my Hitler' Nazi comment... lol

My comments are "ranting and raving" but yours are very sensible and calm? lol Twist it up any way you want... I stand by my comments.

I guess my main point I want to get across about the Casino and candidates like Pappas and groups like POLO and people who think like them is the following....

They attack a player in a game ,the Chuamsh, who won the grand prize.

A game where all they did was play under rules made up by the owners of the establishment, the Federal and State governments.

Of course there are issues when you have a casino in a community and I dont want to see a huge expansion either, and think a fair, independent study to understand the impact, both positive and negative, would be a great thing to undertake,,,but to attack the tribe as these people and groups have done is unforgivable and ignorant and points to bigotry and racism.

You look at other communities where tribes have built the traditional high rise casinos and then look at what the Chumash have built ... and it is a gift. They could have built a 14 story high rise and nobody could have stopped them. But they didnt.

You cannot see the casino until you are about 1/4 mile from it.

Two blocks away in downtown Santa Ynez you cannot see the casino.. It really is a gem for what it is and for its location.

At this point in time I view the Chumash and the Casino an asset to our valley.

I am not a gambler... BTW.

bimbo... hmmm .. no, I wont go there,,,,

LOL!

OK Frog. I have read your comments and you have read mine and we clearly disagree on this point. I certainly have nothing more to add unless you have any questions for me.

I think we agree that we dont want to see any major expansion of the casino.... where we differ is that you have issues with the Chumash and think they pulled one over on us and that its all racially based where as I have pointed out that it is our governments, not the Chumash's, that have created Indian Gaming.

All they did was play by the rules of the game,,,

You and Holly and Bimbo have a great day... now..