Free Republic

THOUSAND OAKS -- A 65 year old man had his finger bitten off Wednesday evening at a health care rally in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's investigators were called to Hillcrest and Lynn Road at 7:26 p.m. About 100 protesters sponsored by MoveOn.org were having a rally supporting health care reform. A group of anti-health care reform protesters formed across the street. When someone from the pro-reform side crossed over to the anti-reform side, a fist fight ensued, which resulted in the man's pinky finger getting bitten off. It's believed the man was on the...

Jesse Ventura, former Minnesota governor, weighs in on Sonia Sotomayor, Sen. Al Franken, and Sarah Palin's resignation.

Several thousand people gathered at anti-tax “Tea Party” protests across Ventura County today celebrating Independence Day with a shot across the bow of big government. The demonstration at the Ventura County Government Center attracted a large crowd — organizers counted more than 3,500 with almost as many signing up to be part of an e-mail list, they said. Similar protests were held in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, but with smaller crowds. In Ventura, passing motorists honked as those gathered waved American flags and signs with messages like “We Are In Hot Water,” “One Nation Under God,” “You Can’t Fix...

Continuing his book promotion media tour, former Gov. Jesse Ventura today resumed his blunt criticism of the Bush administration's interrogation policies and took another shot at former Sen. Norm Coleman. Appearing on ABC's "The View" talk show this morning, Ventura called the waterboarding of suspected terrorists "torture." "If this country follows the rule of law -- which we do -- torture is against the law," he said, adding, "I'm ashamed of my country."... He was less harsh about Minnesota's still-unresolved Senate race than he was last week when he called Coleman "a hypocrite." "It appears [Al] Franken won," he said,...

Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego will become the first counties in California to begin checking the immigration status of all inmates booked into jail Law enforcement officials will begin running inmates' fingerprints through federal databases this month to see if they have had any contact with the immigration system. Once the inmates have finished serving their sentences, they will be transferred to immigration custody for possible deportation

Los Angeles, CA (AP) -- Law enforcement agencies in three Southern California counties will soon be able to check the immigration status of arrestees when their fingerprints are taken. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday the so-called "Secure Communities" program is scheduled to begin this month in Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura counties.

Boisterous Ventura tax protestors are 'Tea'd Off' In Ventura, more than 1,000 people gathered under blue skies to vent wide-ranging concerns, from over-taxation and government spending to condemnation of a recent Homeland Security report tracking a rise in violence among right-wing groups. Holding signs such as "Abolish the Federal Reserve," and "We are Obummed Out, Stop Spending, No More Taxes," the crowd was in a celebratory mood, loudly applauding each speaker and cheering as a small plane droned overhead pulling a banner that said "I’m Tea’d Off!!"

Looking back three years ago, it is hard to fathom how much has changed from the frenzied pace of development then going forward. Land and housing prices were still rising, ever-larger development projects were being launched, and growth debates were raging across Southern California. That’s all gone now. As key real estate players suddenly find themselves without jobs, as more developers file bankruptcy, and more projects bite the dust, the depth of this “downturn” is sinking in. Many, of course, have “been through this before.” By that they mean, they’ve weathered the cyclical postwar busts that have intermittently interrupted the...

On the morning of December 18, a week before Christmas, a woman showed up at Sharon Palmer’s Healthy Family Farms in Santa Paula, CA, wanting to purchase some goat cheese—for an upcoming holiday party, she said. What happened next was that Sharon found herself in serious trouble, though there are two versions of exactly how she got there...

I think part of the dynamic with Governor Palin and the American Electorate is a kind of "Jesse Venturaism" of sorts. We are full up to our eyes of the establishment "vetting" our leaders for us. The Minnesota politicians completely discounted Jesse Ventura as "not vetted" by the establishment and therefore "not allowed" to be Governor. Of course, I'm not associating Governor Palin with Governor Ventura on policies, but I think there is a dimension of this that was pioneered by Jesse. It is a completely different kind of "glass ceiling" that Jesse broke through and I don't think that...

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura will return to the Minnesota political stage Sept. 2, lending his big voice and strong opinions to an alternative rally for GOP Rep. Ron Paul during the Republican National Convention. Rally for the Republic spokesman Jesse Benton predicted Ventura's appearance would boost national interest in the two-day rally at the Target Center in Minneapolis for Paul, the Texas congressman and unsuccessful presidential candidate. "He's a great voice for freedom and limited government," Benton said of Ventura. "He's got a lot of charisma and a lot of credibility, and we're very happy that he's going to lend...

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) announced Monday night that he would not launch a third-party bid for Senate. The former professional wrestler, who served one term as governor beginning a decade ago, said on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that he “isn’t going to run, at this moment,” and that it would take an act of God to get him to file by Tuesday’s filing deadline. He said God has never spoken to him before. “If between now and five o’clock, maybe God comes and speaks to me like he did the president, and tells me I should run like...

In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., says he will run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken. Ventura, born Jim Janos... Ventura had a stormy tenure as governor and horrible relations with the Minnesota press corps. Thus, it was the June issue of a local wine magazine where he chose to drop hints about his pending campaign. Ventura called Franken an opportunist and a carpetbagger. "He hasn't lived...

In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., says he will run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken. Ventura, born Jim Janos, tells Welna that the main reason he's running is because of Coleman's support for the war in Iraq. "That's the reason I run," he says. "I run because it angers me...All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if...

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura said he "may" file the necessary papers to run for the U.S. Senate in the November election. If he doesn't, his former campaign manager will. Both are hinting at a run against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and likely Democratic candidate Al Franken this fall. The only question seems to be: Will it be Ventura, or the man who helped him become governor? Ventura's former campaign manager, Dean Barkley, now works as a bus driver and gardens as a hobby. "Ear to the dirt, listening to the pulse of the people," he joked Thursday. But Barkley, who...

With the television writers strike over, many people here in Ventura County may have tuned into the TV show Brothers and Sisters when it resumed airing last night to complete its last 4 episodes of the season. With much of the show set here, in our very own Ojai, the intense Republican primary race of the fictional character Senator McAllister plays can easily distract us from the politics facing us in reality. It is the similarities to this campaign that a primary challenger, Michael Tenenbaum faces as he runs for congress. Equally as handsome as Rob Lowe who plays a...

Minnesota's Senate race already has a comedian and a politician. Maybe what it needs is: Jesse Ventura. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, the former Reform Party governor said there's nothing that could get him back into politics. But then he kept talking: "I've learned after 56 years you never say never. I have no intention at this point in time, but who knows, that could change." He said he's watching the Senate race with interest, and "I'm not very pleased with either candidate." That would be Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, who suffered his only electoral defeat...

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his strongly held, sometimes outrageous opinions will soon be back on public display in his new book, "Don't Start the Revolution Without Me." The book - part Mexico travelogue, part memoir, part screed - details his brushes with famous people; his feelings about his governorship; and hints, teases and jokes about a possible 2008 run for president. In the book, co-written with author Dick Russell, Ventura says he suggested to then-President Clinton that certain disputed Israeli sites should be blown up to stop the fighting over them; he consulted with then-Vice President Al Gore...

State and federal regulators this week will kick off a long process to consider another proposal for a liquefied natural gas terminal off the Ventura County coast. Officials will take suggestions from the public on what to include in an environmental study for the Clearwater Port project during a hearing Wednesday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Houston-based NorthernStar Natural Gas wants to convert an oil platform 12.6 miles off the coast of Oxnard to accept liquid natural gas from various companies, convert it to vapor and send it ashore via an undersea, 36-inch-diameter pipeline. It is the second such...

VENTURA, Calif. - The spot where a pair of outhouses stood 130 years ago is proving to be a treasure trove for archaeologists who braved the lingering smell in the dirt to uncover some 19th Century artifacts — and a mystery. The one-time site of privies for men and women has been built upon repeatedly. Recently, crews demolished a former school bus barn on the 3.5-acre downtown site in order to build a condominium complex and a parking garage. But first, archaeologists were called in. Beginning in late May, they started digging into the ground in a discovery process that...

AUSTIN, Texas - Dean Barkley grins when he hears talk about the Texas governor's race being a two-person event - and that his guy isn't one of the two. "They just don't want to believe it," he said. But that's OK with Barkley. He wants independent Kinky Friedman, the entertainer and author whose populist campaign he's directing, to repeat the success of another Barkley-directed protest candidate, Jesse Ventura. "Nobody took us seriously in Minnesota, either," Barkley said.

Last night, the Day Fire exploded, burning 50,000 acres and traveling 11 miles west. from AP Sep 17, 2006 11:48 am US/Pacific Day Wildfire Explodes Westward, Threatens Fillmore (AP) CASTAIC, Calif. Offshore winds are fanning a huge wildfire burning in the Los Padres National Forest, prompting voluntary evacuations for portions of Fillmore and a group of homes along a highway connecting Santa Paula and Ojai. U.S. Forest Service officials say that since yesterday afternoon, winds have pushed the so-called Day Fire about 10 miles west and have burned several thousand new acres. It has scorched more than 125 square miles...

Federal officials released a proposal Friday to double the size of protected waters within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary — a plan they say will help restore sea life and have minimal effect on the local fishing industry. The draft plan, written by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the latest piece of a state and federal seven-year effort to preserve essential fish habitat circling the chain of islands. The protected areas of the Channel Islands make up the largest marine reserve network on the West Coast. The new boundaries would add 141 square nautical miles to restricted...

Animal Rescue Volunteers Present: Wag n' Walk Walk to Benefit Homeless & Abused Animals Saturday, September 30, 2006 Arroyo Simi Equestrian Center 3495 Chickory Leaf Place, Simi Valley (Located off Sequoia Ave, Just South of Royal Road) 8:00 am Check-In & Breakfast/ 9:00am Opening Ceremony & Walk begins Walk with your dog, your friends, family or by yourself! Fabulous PRIZES to be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place top fundraisers! Festivities Include: 3 mile walk starting in the beautiful equestrian center, taking you through the surronding areas, *Breakfast * fun opening ceremony * incentive prizes * silent auction*...

So I wander into my local coffee shop, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf this morning, and guess what I see plastered all over the personal notice boards? Flyers for the Socialists Marx in Soho, with a little section at the bottom that reveals it's sponsored by ANSWER VC, International Socialist Org, and other wacked out groups. "An imaginative critique of our society's hypocrisies and injustices and an entertaining, vivid portrait of Karl Marx as a voice of humanitarian justice." -Kirkus ReviewsWhatever your leanings, it's hard not to come out of this show stirred and stimulated." -San Francisco Bay GuardianHAH!...

Michael Tenenbaum says most people he meets while campaigning in local communities don't know who their congressman is. "It's not your fault you don't know," Tenenbaum tells them. "If he'd done something you'd know him." Tenenbaum, 37, is speaking of his June 6 primary election opponent, Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley, the 20-year congressman for the 24th District, which covers parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, including Thousand Oaks. Voters will choose one of the two Republicans for the November election ballot. What many people do know about Gallegly, 62, adds Tenenbaum, is that Gallegly unexpectedly announced his retirement...

A military veteran was pinned with Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals - more than 60 years after he earned them. Adam Macht served as a combat infantryman during World War II in Tunisia, Algeria and French Morocco. He earned a Bronze Star for heroic service and a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in battle. But he never received them - until Wednesday. "This is a long overdue presentation," Chief Master Sgt. Benito Salinas of the Air National Guard said before pinning the three-inch medals to Macht's green Army jacket. The oversight was uncovered when officials at Cypress Place Senior...

AP) VENTURA, Calif. Part of a teacher's hand was blown off when a 40 millimeter round the instructor used as a paperweight on his desk exploded in his classroom. Robert Colla struck the round with an object Tuesday afternoon while teaching 20 to 25 students at the Ventura Adult Education Center.

The state imposed a $140,000 penalty for what it called "willful, continuing, and egregious" violations of the price law... The Minnesota Commerce Department on Thursday announced plans to fine a gas station chain $140,000 for repeatedly selling gas below the state's legal minimum price. The fine against Midwest Oil of Minnesota is twice as large as any imposed on a company since 2001, when the state established a formula based on wholesale prices, fees and taxes to determine a daily floor for gas prices. Kevin Murphy, deputy commissioner of the department, called the violations "willful, continuing, and egregious and warrant...

Political operatives at the Democratic National Committee in Washington developed the plan to turn the memorial service for Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone into a political rally, top party sources tell Capitol Hill Blue. The party also urged the Wellstone family to ask Vice President Dick Cheney to not attend the service and concocted the excuse that security for the VP would disrupt the event even though Secret Service security was required for former president Bill Clinton, who was invited and who did attend. Rick Kahn, the Wellstone campaign worker and friend, worked the highly partisan crowd into a frenzy with...

Price dispute stalls Artspace land deal City vows to get parcel by eminent domain if necessary By Kevin Clerici, kclerici@VenturaCountyStar.com August 22, 2005 The figure seemed to jump off the page: a house in downtown Ventura for $315,000. "When I read it, it seemed low," Ed Boughton of Prudential Real Estate said. "If I were the owners I certainly would want another appraisal. It's been a long time since anything has sold here for $315,000." In June, the median price of a home in Ventura was $587,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems. But that's how much an independent appraisal valued...

Vehicle on track. Possibly dump truck. Ventura county. As per KCAL 9 TV news.

In the wilderness north of Fillmore, the California condor has fought its way back from the brink of extinction. As the federally endangered scavenger's population dwindled over the past century, the rugged mountains became the metaphorical and geographical heart of the movement to save it. But the area is not just good for condor habitat; it's rich in oil, too. The region has some of the oldest oil fields in the state. A recent decision to once again open Los Padres National Forest to gas and oil exploration could threaten efforts to replenish the condor population, some say. While the...

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~28822~2888206,00.html Nearly 100 exotic birds stolen from home aviaryBy Angie Valencia-Martinez, Staff Writer May 26, 2005 Nearly 100 parrots and other orphaned exotic birds were stolen from an aviary in Box Canyon operated by an 85-year-old bird lover, officials said Wednesday. The birds, including Rosellas, Mexican Redheads and Patagonias, were stolen from the back yard of June Matthews' mobile home, where she has cared for rescued birds since 1984. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department said Matthews reported the birds stolen on Monday, but that an investigation showed they might have been taken from the aviary over the weekend. Matthews...

G. Gordon Liddy interviews William Queen, the Silver-Star Vietnam veteran ATF agent who infiltrated the Mongols motorcycle gang. Interesting tale of a mole "under and alone." (audio.) http://66.95.19.43:8081/GGordonLiddy/Liddy-&-Queen-5-10-05.mp3

The juxtaposition of two events - Arnold Schwarzenegger's retreat on pension changes and his wife's televised declarations that his family wants him back home - has touched off a feeding frenzy of media speculation that he may be on his way down and out of politics.

His national name recognition probably doesn't exceed 5 percent, but in recent conversations about possible 2008 presidential candidates, Gov. Tim Pawlenty was mentioned more favorably by top conservative Republican leaders meeting in Florida than such household names as Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain. Just Friday, the New York Times named him "a popular conservative considered a rising star." Grover Norquist, another top GOP architect who heads the group Americans for Tax Reform, said Pawlenty has caught the eye of elite conservative decision makers. "A successful governor who doesn't raise taxes, passes concealed carry, reins in spending and who comes from...

ST. PAUL - A former Marine who was part of the initial invasion force in Iraq said Tuesday that soldiers still lack adequate body armor and protective plating for their military vehicles. Andrew Borene, appearing at a Capitol rally organized by a group called Operation Truth, said the Bush administration has been dismissive of soldiers' concerns about equipment. Borene was active in Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign. Operation Truth is seeking a congressional inquiry into whether troops in Iraq have adequate equipment and supplies. Former Gov. Jesse Ventura, an adviser to the group, attended the rally but did not speak....

LOS ANGELES -- One month after supporting a defeated ballot initiative campaign, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians continued pushing television commercials attacking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to collect revenues from California tribes. The second in a series of ads aired statewide this week, saying the governor has not been fair in demanding that "tribal governments pay three times more taxes than any other business." That statement was a stab at Schwarzenegger's ongoing negotiations with tribes to pay as much as 25 percent of their gambling revenues to the state in exchange for rights to operate additional slot machines....

Take a look at a fascinating Web site called Operation Truth (www.optruth.org), which was recently started by a group of military veterans to present the views of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group pledges to educate the American public about the wars in both those countries from the perspective of soldiers who have served there, especially when "political approaches to military operations" cause problems on the front lines. It also offers soldiers' perspectives on issues that affect the troops, from the role of private contractors in military operations, to the efforts to cut combat pay and the closing of...

Former Gov. Jesse Ventura ripped President Bush on Thursday for mismanaging the war in Iraq, for burdening future generations with a huge national debt, and for blah blah blah blah blah... (kindly excuse the hasty and sloppy scan)

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is silent no more on why he's supporting John Kerry for president. Unleashing a strong attack against President Bush, Ventura appeared at Century Technical College in Oakdale Thursday to encourage young people to vote. He signed Kerry-Edwards posters but wouldn't answer questions from reporters.

Hello All, For you that can attend an event in Ventura County... please support this if you are able... = "Veterans Day Historic Re-enactmenty Event in Ventura Nov 11th 04, 12 noon." Private James Sumner, Comp G, 1st US Cavalry has passed away. His funeral procession & burial Re-enactment will be VETERAN'S DAY, NOV 11TH 2004, at 12 NOON. Starting at San Buenventura Mission (Mission Park) in downtown Ventura where 3 Presidents of the US: President A. Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and US Grant will join the funeral procession going EAST on E. Main Street to end procession at St. Mary's...

Ventura Won't Vote in Presidential Election URBANA, Ill. (Sept. 24) - Jesse Ventura says he'll take a pass on the voting booth in November. The former governor of Minnesota told an audience at the University of Illinois in Urbana that he won't vote in the presidential election because he doesn't like Democrat nominee John Kerry or President George W. Bush. "Look at the position I'm in," said Ventura, who served as Minnesota governor from 1999-2003. "If I vote for John Kerry, I'm going to get my taxes raised." Bush won't get his vote because of the president's positions on social...

REPORT OF LADIES HANDGUN SEMINAR Ojai Valley Gun Club, Ojai (Ventura) CA - Saturday, July 31, 2004 The best Ladies Handgun Seminar ever!! I left home (Fresno) at 4:30 a.m. and arrived at 8:30 a.m. Whew! What a drive! But worth every mile; believe me. The Ojai Valley Gun Club is located smack dab in the middle of Los Padres National Forest. The Club leases the range from the feds. What a fabulous setting!!! You cannot imagine how beautiful it is – and they even have flush toilets. When I first arrived, I was greeted by the awesome sound of...

LADIES HANDGUN SEMINAR Saturday, July 31, 2004, at the Ojai Valley Gun Club, beginning promptly at 9 a.m. Second Amendment Sisters – www.2asisters.org – invites women of all ages and backgrounds to attend this seminar to learn how to operate a gun with safety and confidence. Novice shooters welcome!! There will be a general safety briefing (classroom) after which shooters will pair up with coaches for specialized, tailored instruction in accordance with questionnaire information provided by the participant. If you don’t have a firearm, one will be provided. Women bringing their own firearms will have the weapon and ammunition checked...

At just 20 years old, Bryan Kelley has seen the difference American troops made in Iraq. The blue-eyed, baby-faced Ventura native went from basic training to war, returning last week from 10 months in the Middle East. So as Kelley, a member of the Army's 101st Air Assault Division, marched down Main Street on Saturday with his girlfriend on one hand and an American flag in the other, he told of soldiers reconstructing war-torn buildings. He described how faces of Iraqi children beamed when Army chaplains gave out candy. As the march in which Kelley took part, Americans For Iraqi...

We had a very good "Americans for Iraqi Freedom" rally today in downtown Ventura. There were about 25 or 35 participants - quite of few of them freepers and lurkers. Freepers included PacPam, BenLurkin, MoonMad27 and RicJef(sp). We had a number of soldiers that had just come back from Iraq and they received a very warm thank you and welcome. Its a darn good thing we were there because the "peace" group was quite large - maybe 100 to 200 people. You could tell that a number of them were not from around Ventura County. Anyway we marched down to...

Ventura County Freepers and Lurkers! We will be countering the A.N.S.W.E.R. "peace" rally in Ventura March 20 with a "AMERICANS FOR IRAQI FREEDOM" rally and march. Meet at 1:00 pm on Saturday March 20 in front of Ventura City Hall in downtown Ventura. Address is 501 Poli Street. Bring signs, banners and flags! Also donations for our troops in Iraq on the behalf of Operation Interdependence, Bring used paperback books and supplies such as babywipes, q-tips, razors, etc. Send me the names of the people/organizations you are walking in honor of and I will add to the “Walk of Honor”...

Ventura County Freepers and Lurkers! We will be countering the A.N.S.W.E.R. "peace" rally in Ventura March 20 with a "AMERICANS FOR IRAQI FREEDOM" rally and march. We will be meeting at 1:00 pm on Saturday March 20 in front of Ventura City Hall in downtown Ventura. Address is 501 Poli Street. Bring signs, banners and flags! We will begin and end with the Pledge of Allegiance. At approximately 1:30 pm we will walk down (obeying all traffic signals, rules, etc) down to Mission Plaza, walk back towards California. At that point, (depending on your schedule, health, etc). we will split...