September 7, 2017 Page 5
Politically Speaking
One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion
By Cristian Vasquez
The news that President Trump officially
pardoned celebrity Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio
shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
However it should serve as a reminder
that when people in power misbehave, the
punishments are rarely ever equal to those
imposed on average citizens. Arpaio’s conviction,
which stemmed out of a 10-year-old
lawsuit claiming that the sheriff’s office was
in violation of the rights of Latinos, was at
best a slap on the wrist. The 85-year-old
sheriff was vulnerable to a maximum jail
sentence of six months, and the president
pretty much prevented him the hassle of
further court proceedings. While this pardon
is a moral victory of sorts for the president’s
supporters, in reality it’s a reminder that
criminal behavior is not guaranteed to end
in reprimand when in a position of power.
Whether you like the sheriff or not, the fact
remains that he gave his department a green
light to racially profile people in Arizona
solely on the suspicion of their legal status
in the country. Yes, there is an obligation
to deport immigrants in the country without
the legal documents--but that does not
mean that I, an American citizen of Latino
heritage, should be harassed by local law
enforcement because Arpaio wants to be
a modern-day hero. Nothing gives Arpaio
the right to stop me if I haven’t committed
a crime. Still, this new-age cowboy felt he
was above the law and harassed American
citizens like myself under the guise of law
and order. Ironically, the often-used argument
by conservatives that “if you aren’t doing
By Duane Plank
So as those unfortunate folks in the Texas
state were being pummeled by Hurricane
Harvey, this scribe was watching and feeling
empathy for the folks caught in the eye of this
devastating whirlwind. And… figuring there
was no way that the lefties would somehow
blame President Donald Trump for this.
Even a skow like Rachel Maddow is supposedly
smart enough to realize that the
Donald doesn’t control the weather, right?
Not sure what the lefty commentator spoke
of this week. Had to file this tome on Sunday
evening.
But minutes into the hurricane fray, the
libs on CNN started bloviating about how
could Trump have had his minions announce
on Friday night the canning of one of his
advisors nobody knew of--some Russiansounding
dude, Gorko…and strengthening
the rules about transgenders in the military,
and the pardoning of some yahoo law official
in Arizona.
Back in the day, dropping White House news
items on a Friday evening when we only had
Walter Cronkite to trust (“And that’s the way
it is…”) was a way for the administration to
dispose of press releases when no one was
paying attention during the weekend--because
the political scribes were out-and-about,
getting hammered, hoping to slog into work
on Monday morning. I think nowadays it is
called the “Friday Night Dump.” On the great,
great show back in the day, West Wing, it was
termed, “Taking Out the Trash.”
Well, at press time, which for me is Sunday
President Trump’s Pardon of Sheriff Arpaio
is No Surprise
Must Be Trump’s Fault About Hurricane Harvey
and the Devastation in Texas, Right? Or Left?
anything wrong, you have nothing to worry
about,” didn’t really apply in the jurisdiction
of this disgraced sheriff. Yet, he seems to
be a fan favorite among Trump supporters.
Even when a federal district judge ordered
Arpaio to stop detaining people simply on
the suspicion of their immigration status…
even if there was no evidence that a law had
been broken, he persisted. Why? Because
enough people were in such reverence of
his antics that he kept up the show. Did he
really make Arizona safer? Doubt it, but
I’m sure there are plenty in his fan base
who are convinced he did. It’s sad that a
country that prides itself on law and order,
due process and having the ability to check
a leader’s power has so many people falling
over themselves for this sad, delusional man.
Let’s not forget that this is the same person
who took pride in putting prisoners inside
tents, out in a desert that can reach up to 120
degrees Fahrenheit, during the day. I know…
that’ll teach them, right? Maybe it’s worth
the money the state saves on facilities to
expose human lives to life-threatening heat.
This washed-up lawman has been nothing
more than a sad display of power. Arpaio
relied on showboating and fear tactics to
gain support among Arizona’s voters. His
policies led to the harassment of American
citizens with brown skin and Spanish surnames
and when the courts slapped him on
the wrist, his president pal came through to
spare him that reprimand. It’s not surprising
that Arpaio was pardoned, but it is disgusting
that his criminal behavior continues to
be justified. •
evening, Texas Governor Abbott gave the
Trump administration an A+ for the work
that had been done to prepare for all the
devastation that was going to consume certain
portions of the great state of Texas. Trump
and company were prepared to declare Texas
a disaster zone prior to the devastation that
was soon to hit the Lone Star State. Lessons
were learned, apparently, after the bureaucratic
bumbling, red-tape scrambling, and Bolshoi
de jour that plagued the Bush administration
back in 2005 when the ferocity of Hurricane
Katrina slammed into the city known as the
“Big Easy.”
President Bush was apparently nodding
off at the time, vacationing, having no clue
apparently about what was happening to one
of the 50 states under his watch. The response
from Bush and his well-paid government vacationers
was tardy and pathetic, and helped
result in the deaths of, according to published
reports, more than 1,000 people in Louisiana.
So Trump, and to be fair, his weather gurus,
prepared for this cataclysmic inundation of
parts of Texas when all the while he was
wandering around at Camp David. Not sure if
there is a golf course there. Quick aside, but
it does appear like Mr. Trump has an aversion
to spending weekends at the White House.
Have Melania and the younger Trumpie even
moved into their taxpayer-subsidized digs
on Pennsylvania Avenue? Guess the Trumps
wouldn’t be the first married folks who occasionally
like to keep their distance, eh?
Trump, with all his imperfections, won
this week. •
Ants from front page
tive action. The UC bug experts say that
indoor bug sprays aren’t necessary, while
over-the-counter gels repel invading ants.
For immediate results, the UC pest management
services recommends occupants
of homes or residents first determine what
is attracting the ants and remove the food
source. Vacuum ant trails, wipe them with
soapy water--or spray window sills, countertops,
baseboards and floors with window
cleaner. Put out bait stations or apply gel
bait where the ants are entering the building,
the experts advise. Baits don’t work
immediately, so ant trails may be visible
for a few days.
Ants will keep looking for alternative
routes, the UC team warns. So, locate holes
in exterior or interior walls where ants are
entering, and caulk the openings or fill
them with petroleum jelly to block access.
Weather, especially hot and dry conditions
in summer, trigger ant invasions and it will
eventually stop on its own, the expert tell us.
A professional charges between $100 and
$250 for a one-time treatment of a structure,
and they offer service contracts for about
$50 per month that include regular treatment
of ant nests and indoor inspections.
The Argentine ant is
the most populous species
in the area and is
non-native to the state. It
thrives in California and is
believed to have killed off
and replaced native ants
“many of which are 10
times larger,” according
to the website, Do Your
Own Pest Control. Entomophobes
(people with
a fear of bugs) should
be glad to learn that
Argentine ants don’t stick around for long.
They don’t nest in the walls of a structure,
preferring to live outdoors. “They enter to
forage and then exit, returning to the nest,”
the website says about their lifestyle choice.
This Argentinian species prefers sweet
foods, so bagging up fruit and cookies in the
kitchen is recommended. They like to nest
in moist soil near buildings and live near
sidewalks and planters, according to information
found at DoYourOwnPestControl.com.
Ants typically enter a building looking for
food and water in dry or wet weather, and
the most effective pest control method is bait
that the worker ants carry back to the nest.
There are two species of Southern
California ants that attack wood and cause
termite-like damage to structures. Carpenter
ants and velvety tree ants invade residential
and commercial buildings, and they hollow
out wooden beams and plywood, according
to the do-it-yourself pest site. Anybody
creeped out by the thought of insects--you’re
not alone. Bug phobia and a repulsive reaction
to the sight of an insect ranks high
on American’s list of fears, which is what
keeps the pest control companies busy and
bug treatments on hardware store shelves. •
Old paint. Solvents. Batteries. Computer
monitors. These are some of the
household hazardous waste and electronic
waste items you can bring to a Roundup
for recycling. It’s a great opportunity
to clean out your garage and clean up
the environment. Our free drive-thru,
drop-off events are a quick, convenient,
and common-sense way to
dispose of materials
too toxic to trash,
pour down a sink,
or dump in a
storm drain.
No Business Waste Accepted
Brought to you by the County of Los Angeles and
presented by the Department of Public Works and the
Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County in cooperation
with the cities of Carson, El Segundo, Gardena,
Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale,
Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance.
Home-generated sharps waste such as hypodermic
needles, pen needles, syringes, lancets, and intravenous
needles SHOULD NOT be placed in your trash. Bring
them to the Roundups or visit www.CLEANLA.com for
alternate disposal options.
You can also take your used motor oil to more than
600 oil recycling centers in Los Angeles County. Call
1(888) CLEAN-LA for a complete listing.
TOO
TOXIC
TO
TRASH
Household Hazardous
Waste & Electronic Waste
Roundup
Saturday, September 9, 2017
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Lawndale High School
Llyode Parking Lot
14901 S. Inglewood Avenue
Lawndale
For more information
or an event schedule, contact:
1(888) CLEAN-LA,
www.CleanLA.com
or 1(800) 238-0172
www.lacsd.org
Marine Ave.
Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Hawthorne Blvd.
Ingelwood Blvd.
Redondo Beach Ave.
Vail Ave.
W. Rosecrans Ave.
ENTER THIS
ROUNDUP FROM
MARINE AVE.
San Diego Fwy (405)