Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

“In a serious setback for justice in Alabama, primary voters chose Roy Moore to be their candidate for chief justice of the State Supreme Court in November,” the New York Times is reporting. “He is now the odds-on favorite to win. You may remember that Mr. Moore lost that job in 2003 when a special ethics court removed him from the bench after he defied a court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the lobby of the state judicial building in Montgomery.

“Mr. Moore plainly benefited from his name recognition — as disturbing as that thought is — and strong support from many of the same evangelical voters who backed Rick Santorum in the presidential primary. His victory is yet one more reminder that choosing judges in partisan elections, rather than through a system of merit selection, can create a serious problem of quality control.

“In all, 31 states are holding elections for their top court this year — multicandidate races and “retention” votes for a total of 73 judgeships nationwide. Requiring would-be judges to cozy up to party leaders and raise large sums from special interests eager to influence their decisions seriously damages the efficacy and credibility of the judiciary.

“It discourages many highly qualified lawyers from aspiring to the bench. Bitter campaigns — replete with nasty attack ads — make it much harder for judges to work together on the bench and much harder for citizens to trust the impartiality of the system.”

The rest of the article is here.

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“We are attending a Mercatus Center conference in Scottsdale,” our resident hard-right ideologue George Rebane pontificates this morning.  “As supporters of that institute at Georgetown University, we have benefitted from their research into public policy issues that seek to buttress the preservation of rights summarized in The Bastiat Triangle (q.v.).”

For the record, Dr. Rebane, the Mercatus Center is at George Mason University — not Georgetown University.

Nonetheless, I have no doubt of your dedication to this esteemed house of learning and “think tank” affiliated with the Koch family.

Hope you can catch a Spring Training game!

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“The Obama campaign has released the full 17-minute documentary-style video about the president’s first three years in office,” The Washington Post is reporting.

“Directed by Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim (and narrated by Tom Hanks), ‘The Road We’ve Traveled’ uses interviews with current and former administration aides and former president Bill Clinton to detail what the White House sees as President Obama’s top achievements. Those include rescuing the auto industry from collapse, passing health care reform, ending the Iraq war and overseeing the killing of Osama bin Laden.

“On his feelings after U.S. Special Forces found and shot bin Laden, Obama says in the film: ‘I didn’t have a lot of feelings because our guys were still in that compound. It wasn’t until they crossed the border and everyone was safe, everyone was accounted for, including the dog, I allowed for some satisfaction.’

“Obama’s mention of the dog could be a small jibe at GOP presidential front runner Mitt Romney, who has been criticized for having once strapped a family dog to the roof of his car for a trip.”

The rest of the article is here.

The video is here:

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Editor’s note: A regular reader with a sense of humor passed this on, from “Slog,” a news and arts blog. Will “John Galt” from our local right-wing revolutionary blogosphere toss his hat in the ring for the internship? He’ll have to divulge his real name. LOL.

ART DIRECTOR
Full-time position working on the Atlas Shrugged Movie Marketing team (may work remotely). Must be proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator and posses depth of knowledge in Web related Graphics and design. HTML, CSS, and Usability huge pluses. Experience with Adobe Premiere helpful. Responsibilities to include evolving the foundational Atlas brand, creating collateral and assets for print & web. DO NOT send resume. Email ONLY links showcasing your work to: creative@atlasshruggedmovie.com.

INTERN
Full-time paid internship working with the marketing team in Beverly Hills, CA. Show us your creative writing skills by writing a brief 3 paragraph essay answering the question “Who is Ayn Rand?” Email your essay and contact info to: internship@atlasshruggedmovie.com.

“Slog” wrote: “I’m starting work on my three-paragraph essay right now. (Sample sentence: “Ayn Rand is important for so many reasons, including several reasons I am going to tell you about right now.”) So long suckers—I’m finally going Hollywood!”

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My son’s idea of a birthday is a more raucous affair with his friends, somewhat akin to the boys playing at “Paradise Island” in Pinocchio (see video).

I prefer a more sedate celebration, visiting and reflecting with family and friends, a quiet dinner out in Nevada City, fresh flowers from Foothills Flowers, some wickedly humorous cards — and just a few presents.

At dinner, you inevitably wind up visiting with the other guests, since it’s such a small town: This time it was Phil and Belinda Carville and Lowell and Diane Robertson. We caught up and had a few laughs. I’m going to get Phil to start blogging.

Back at the ranch, we opened a few gifts: a new pair of swim goggles, a kitchen thermometer (with big, easy-to-read numbers) and a book called “My Nepenthe.” (Yes, we “shopped locally”: Big 5 in the K-mart Center, Tess’ Kitchen Store and J.J. Jacksons).

The book “My Nepenthe” from my wife and son was a wonderful surprise. “A very special book about a very special place,” as Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food wrote in his review. It is written by Romney Steele, granddaughter of the founders of Nepenthe.

Nepenthe, perched on the cliffs of Big Sur off the Pacific Coast Highway, is quintessential California — at least “coastal California.” Many of you have been there. It’s been around since 1949.

This place is more than a restaurant — it embodies the spirit of California and is an institution.

There is the spectacular view (high above the Pacific and below the Santa Lucia Mountains), the eclectic California culture (from Yuppies to retirees to Bohemians — and Jack Kerouac); big chess boards; free-form sculptures; and the Ambrosia burger (now $14.95 but still huge, on a French roll with garbanzo-kidney bean salad).

“From the baths we go to Nepenthe, which is a beautiful cliff top restaurant with vast outdoor patio, with excellent food, excellent waiters and management, good drinks, chess tables, chairs and tables to just sit in the sun and look at the grand coast,” Kerouac wrote about the place.

I’ve been going to Nepenthe since I was a child. I remember going with my parents and flinching at the bean salad as a side, instead of french fries, but wound up enjoying it immensely. The Ambrosia burger was about half the price it is now.

Over the years, we’ve been back many times — always trying to gauge the unpredictable weather for a perfect day. Sometimes the dense fog is OK, too. Sure, it’s more touristy than in the past and pricier — like California itself. But it’s still a fun day.

Steele writes about the history of the place from her family’s eyes. There are stories, anecdotes, black-and-white photos and stunning color photography. A relative of the Fassett family is a local, according to the proprietor at J.J. Jackson’s.

At middle age, you reflect on your past, as well as your present and future. So the book is going to be a real treasure for me. Thank you Shannon. Thank you Son.

Here’s the Pinocchio video (click twice to watch it):

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