Grants Pass Home Girl, Sara Bristol

By Darlene Mitchell August 25, 2023 August 25, 2023 Calamity Politics, Conservatism, Demonstrations and Protests, Elections, Government, Homelessness, Journalism, Journalism/Reporting, Mayor Grants Pass, Oregon, Oregon, Political Parties, Recall petitions, Sara Bristol, Social Issues, Update, Volunteer, Voting

Grants Pass Home Girl, Sara Bristol

Small Town Oregon Mayor Comes Under Fire For Not Being “Conservative” Enough

Grants Pass Home Girl, Sara Bristol

By D. S. Mitchell

A True Homie

Sara Bristol was born in Grants Pass, Oregon and went to grade and high school here. Sara comes from a family who believed in community service. She saw their rhetoric in action as they worked tirelessly for, and with their neighbors, to make Grants Pass a great place to live. Sara saw volunteerism and public service firsthand and has spent her life following their example. Sara’s father, Mike Murphy, once served as Grants Pass mayor.

College Break

During summer break from college Sara worked as an intern at the Daily Courier in Grants Pass, where she met future husband Chris Bristol. Sara followed her heart and left school in Colorado to return to Oregon. Back in Oregon, Sara continued her studies at Southern Oregon University, where she graduated with a degree in Journalism. Sara and her new husband, like many young couples, were destined to leave their hometowns due to job considerations.

A Call To Service

The young couple and their two children moved first to Portland and then to Yakima, where Sara and Chris both worked at local newspapers. Despite her growing work and family responsibilities, Sara still felt the call to serve her community. Supported by the ideals of independence, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and honesty, Sara decided to run for a city council position in Yakima, WA. No surprise this spirited dynamo won easily.

A Big Move

A big job change for Chris was coming and it would bring Sara and her family back to Grants Pass. Leaving Yakima was hard, but coming home to Grants Pass was an exciting prospect; and as always, the family leaned into the move and all the changes the move promised.

City Government

It wasn’t long after moving back to Grants Pass that Sara saw real problems in the Grants Pass city government. She became quite alarmed at what appeared to be a city government run by a crowd of bullies who were playing fast and loose with taxpayer money. After her father’s years as Grants Pass mayor and her experience as councilperson in Yakima she decided she had to run for Grants Pass mayor. As an independent, unaffiliated candidate she won handily.

Recall Petition

Recently, a group, providing the address of the local Republican committee office as their headquarters, attacked Sara’s performance as mayor. Suzanne Barber and several Republican precinct workers began collecting signatures for a recall election. The reason for the petitioned recall, according to the petition is Sara Bristol’s insufficient conservativism.

Independent and Unaffiliated

Grants Pass voters wanted an independent and unaffiliated voice at City Hall, that’s why Sara was elected. Standby our mayor. Vote No on the recall, September 12, 2023. At a time when our national headlines are filled with vitriol and hate Sara wants to be sure that divisiveness does not contaminate our local government. Sara believes in calm, transparent, confident leadership, not hysterical extremism. Join Sara to turn back a small but vocal minority.

SUPPORT SARA BRISTOL AT THESE COMMUNITY EVENTS:

Friday, August 25, 2023: Anne Basker Auditorium at 6 pm

Saturday, August 26, 2023: Josephine County Courthouse at 12 Noon

Tuesday, August 29, 2023: Fruitdale Grange at 6pm

Work in Progress-Setting Up the New Studio

By Darlene Mitchell August 20, 2023 August 20, 2023 Arts & Entertainment, Bill Cook, Calamity Politics, Calamity Video Casts, Culture, David Shadrick, Distractions, Humor, Marijuana, Mushrooms, Opinion, Oregon, Useless Information, Videos, weekly column

Setting Up the New Studio

Work in Progress

Setting up the new Calamity studio

The guys have been busy sweeping, mopping, and cleaning out the area for the new Calamity News Studio. They have been working almost tirelessly getting the big unveil ready for the viewing public. There’s a lot more hard work in front of them, but there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Stop by for a visit and see the progress.

The Before Episode

By Darlene Mitchell August 8, 2023 August 8, 2023 Bill Cook, Calamity Politics, Calamity Video Casts, David Perdue, Positive Vibes, Useless Information, Videos, weekly column

The Before Episode

Well, Bill and Dave are busy today working on setting up the new Calamity News and Politics studio; more space, better lights, better equipment. All around a much better situation. There’s a lot of stuff that’s gotta go before they can bring in the new, however. Unfortunately, Bill is the one that’s doing all the physical work, while Dave gets to talk about all the work that’s going on, due to a recent injury. The guys thought it might be fun for folks to watch them set up their new space. The plan is for the studio to be ready no later than September one. Thanks for watching and come back soon.

Calamity Pirates Talk Wrestling

By Darlene Mitchell July 31, 2023 July 31, 2023 #sports, Bill Cook, Calamity Politics, Calamity Video Casts, David Shadrick, Media, Social Media, Sports, Useless Information, Videos, Wrestling

Calamity Pirates Talk Wrestling

Let’s talk Wrasslin’ with Dave and Bill

So today I was told that Dave (the guy on your left in yellow, wearing glasses, and Bill (the one with the cute smile, on your right) are going to talk about wrasslin’ (wrestling). Dave claims knowledge as the former owner of Buzz Saw Wrestling Federation and I think Bill is just curious. So join the guys for a few minutes of nonsense as they talk about behind the scenes of pro-wrestling.

OPINION: Trump A Criminal Candidate

By Darlene Mitchell July 30, 2023 July 31, 2023 2020 Election, 2022, 2024 Election, Asian Issues, Bill Barr, Black and Brown Issues, Black Lives Matter, Calamity Politics, D. S. Mitchell, Demonstrations and Protests, Domestic Terrorism, Donald J. Trump, Editorial, Election Interference, Joe Biden, Journalism/Reporting, Legal & Criminal, Lies and Corruption, Money Laundering, Native American Peoples, Neo-Nazis, Opinion, Proud Boys, Trump Insurrection, Voting, White Supremacy Movement

OPINION:

Donald Trump, Criminal Candidate

OPINION:

Donald Trump, Criminal Candidate

D. S. Mitchell

The Biggest Flag Wins

When all the votes for 2020 presidential election were counted, Joe Biden won 81,283,098 votes, or 51.3% of the vote. Donald Trump won 74,222,958 or 46.8% of the vote. Miscellaneous other candidates captured a meager 1.8% of the vote. In other words, Joe Biden, kicked Trump’s butt, besting Trump by over 7 million votes. But, those numbers were obviously against Trump’s plan. Votes were counted and recounted and lawsuit after lawsuit brought by Trump challenging the election were dismissed. Everyone from the bloated and lawless Bill Barr to Cybersecurity Director Chris Krebs called Trump’s claim’s of voter fraud, “bullshit.” But, still you see signs saying, “Biden Lost!” usually accompanied by an oversized American flag.

As It Plays Out

We should be celebrating that more people turned out to vote in the 2020 election than at any other time in history. But, we aren’t. In fact, because of Trump’s lies our country is more divided than ever. Instead of the bloated orange fruit fly conceding the election, to Joe Biden like every man before him has, he chose to create chaos.

More Violence and More Lawsuits

In 2016 the Trumpers told us “elections have consequences” as we progressives huddled in our fetal positions, terrified of a Trump presidency. It is now 2023 and those same Trumpers are telling us that despite Trump’s staggering loss both in the Electoral College and the popular vote we libs should sit down and shut up, ‘because it’s obvious Trump won’. If Trump becomes the Republican nominee in 2024 I am sure we will see more armed election observers, more lawsuits, more threats of violence, more white supremacist saber rattling, and more talk of Trump as a lifetime president.

Is It That Bad?

A majority of Americans, especially Black, Brown, Native Americans, Asians, and other marginalized communities, who are at the mercy of this country’s historic, systemic, police abuse and seemingly incurable racism, voted Donald Trump out of office. I want us to celebrate that so many Americans voted to oust his criminal ass, but there is much need for introspection and intense soul searching about those who continue to feverishly support him in his fight to propagate the big lie. My god the brazen fucker is running for president again.

A Cup Of Coffee

I’m ready this morning to have a cup of coffee, eat an apple and reflect on why more than 74, 000,000 Americans would chose a man like Donald Trump to lead this country? His incompetence and stupidity is legendary. We’d already seen the chaos in operation, day after day, over four years in office. Some close to him have called him a “fucking moron.” These words come from those who know him best, yet these voices are ignored by his minions. Or should I be calling them cultists.

Nothing Moves His Base

For the last several days I’ve scoured old newspaper and magazine articles putting together a list of the known criminal activities of Donald Trump. Although well-known to his followers, his criminality seems to have no effect on their loyalty or their intoxicated enthusiasm. Monster flags whipping off the back of pickup trucks advertise their loyalty to Trump, not the United States. Wake up guys. Trump is a fraud and you, his small donors, are his biggest suckers. Recent reports indicate $40 million dollars of donor money has been spent so far this year on Trump defense attorneys. Get real, please, Trump and his whole crew belongs in Sing-Sing, not the Oval Office.

The Habit Of Corruption

Trump is no stranger to corruption and criminality. He has been embedded in it his entire life. As President, he took it to a new level. The Trump administration was without a doubt the most corrupt presidency in American history. No wonder he keeps screaming “fake news” when responding to reporter’s questions. Trump desperately needs to undermine the legitimacy of the fourth estate. Donald John Trump has so much to hide. If his devout followers would listen to the information that is available everywhere, they would drop him like the proverbial hot potato. But, for some reason they are both deaf and blind to the truth. Truth matters, and Trump couldn’t find truth with both hands. Just to refresh the reader on Trump’s criminal history:

It All Started With Daddy Trump

1.) Donald and his father blatantly participated in housing discrimination against people of color and they were sued by the Justice Department.
2.) The Mafia and Donald worked together through the construction trades in New York city.
3.) He hired undocumented Polish workers to rehab the Trump Tower and then refused to pay them.
4.) Trump was fined $750,000 for anti-trust violations during his attempt to take over a rival casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Questions & Answers With D. S. Mitchell

By Darlene Mitchell July 12, 2023 July 12, 2023 Arts & Entertainment, Books, Calamity Politics, D. S. Mitchell, David Shadrick, Erotic Literature, erotic novels, Journalism, Journalism/Reporting, Novels, short stories, Social Media

Questions & Answers With D. S. Mitchell

Q & A With D. S. Mitchell

By David L. Shadrick

I had several advantages going for me when I called writer, author, editor, publisher, D. S. Mitchell to ask her for an interview. The first big advantage is that I have known Darlene Mitchell for nearly forty years, the second was I wanted to do a story about her. I hoped our long term friendship and my appeal to her vanity would seal the deal. So after a few hiccups we got together at her home in beautiful southern Oregon and I started asking questions. Here is the result of that interview.

David: When we first met you were an RN. How and when did you decide you wanted to abandon the bedpan for the ink pen?

Darlene: You’re funny. It wasn’t like that. I’ve been writing short stories and bad poetry since I was a young kid. I spent my school years in advanced creative writing classes, encouraged and mentored by a number of wonderful teachers along the way. But, so few writers find success that I chose a “reliable” career. Professional nursing was a sure paycheck, not a hope and a prayer. My mother said a hail Mary on that choice, thankful that the four years of college she paid for wouldn’t be wasted on a low paying unpredictable career as a writer.

Looking Back At Trump

By Darlene Mitchell May 12, 2023 May 13, 2023 2016 Election, Calamity Politics, Donald J. Trump, Ethics, Lies and Corruption, Malignant Narcissist, Media, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Quotes

Looking Back At Trump 2017

Looking Back at Trump 2017

By D.S. Mitchell and Sallie Lester

Editors Note:

The Trump Town Hall on CNN the other night, had the hair on my arms standing up and I felt a deep visceral anger and disgust I haven’t felt since Trump was president. With that disgust of everything Trump renewed, I was prompted to go back and revisit numerous calamitypolitics.com articles from Trump’s first few months in office.

Listen folks, all you need to do is read the newspaper to know Trump is a bad dude. He is a shameless narcissist, a fake and a liar, a sexual predator, a grifter, a tax fraud, among many other proven things, but most importantly he is a real threat to our democracy. Now here he comes again, after fomenting an insurrection, asking us to give him a second chance to bring down the damn government. It’s happening in Israel, Hungary, and Turkey. It could happen here. We must stop Captain Chaos. Donate to the re-elect Biden-Harris 2024 presidential campaign.

Back in 2016

Millions of people across the country were deeply disturbed and shocked in 2016 after the Electoral College determined Donald J. Trump to have been elected president of the United States. Many protested in the streets, some like me took to the computer to Resist the insanity of a TV huckster and an absurdity like Donald Trump becoming president.

“Just Dave” 09/19/2021

By Darlene Mitchell September 26, 2021 September 26, 2021 Calamity Politics, Calamity Video Casts, Coronavirus COVID-19, David Shadrick, Disease, Editorial, Health Care, Medical, Opinion, Vaccinations, Videos, weekly column

“Just Dave” 09/19/2021

Today, Dave is talking about the unvaccinated. The current epidemic is one of the unvaccinated. How come suddenly people would rather die on the battleground of stupidity than take an incredibly safe deterrent. Nothing is perfect, and that includes vaccines. Yet when tossing the dice the odds of surviving the vaccine far outweigh surviving COVID. How could anyone in their right mind want to take the chance of being paralyzed with drugs, have a tube shoved down their throat, a catheter shoved into your bladder, turned every hour so you don’t get bed sores? Now this isn’t going to be a two hour or two day affair. This could go on for months, until you die, or improve. If you die, most likely your last moments will be alone. If you are lucky there may be a nurse there to hold your hand as you pass. So unnecessary.

Please, stop the silly nonsense and get vaccinated. Do it for yourself, your community, and the country.

Kaill McNeil Alter-Narratives 8/27/21

By Darlene Mitchell August 31, 2021 September 6, 2021 Calamity Politics, Opinion, weekly column

ALTER-NARRATIVES

By Kaill McNeil

When, if ever, is war a good thing?

What Is War Good For?

Ideal World

One hears a lot about a perfect world, even in the political arena. Much of progressive philosophy is based on it. Working on progressing society to the way they wish it could be. Conservatives, on the other hand, are more likely to see things in terms of cold, hard reality, while also having little to no imagination on bettering the lot of mankind. Somewhere between these two extremes are what could be called ‘moderates.’ Neither caught in the mire of human filth, or off with the fairies, these folks are more able to see the forest for the trees. Particularly when it comes to things like military engagement.

War, What Is It Good For?

“War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin,’” according to the song. Edwin Starr apparently keen to be speaking Japanese. A nearly sure outcome of the Japanese campaign of WWII if the U.S. had not entered into the war. One of Japan’s major targets being the west coast of the United States. There might not be good wars, but there are necessary ones. A fact recent generations have lost sight of due to the baby boomer experience in Vietnam and the more recent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, which were more about political face saving.

“Just Dave” Leaving Afghanistan

By Darlene Mitchell August 21, 2021 August 23, 2021 Calamity Politics, Calamity Video Casts, Joe Biden, Update

“Just Dave” On U.S. Leaving Afghanistan

The last week has been hard on Joe Biden’s reputation as a competent and empathetic leader. Joe is trying to end a 20 year war that less than 25% of the American people support. However, the media; right, left, and in-be-tween have piled on the president. A man who had nothing to do with the start or in fact the end of the damn affair. So, Dave is here to try and bring calm to the disturbed waters of American ego.