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OPINIONOPINION

Mountain View News Saturday, July 12, 2025

MOUNTAIN 
VIEWS

NEWS

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR

Dean Lee 

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Patricia Colonello

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John Aveny 

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Howard Hays

Paul Carpenter

Kim Clymer-Kelley

Christopher Nyerges

Peter Dills 

Rich Johnson

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Jeff Brown

Marc Garlett

Keely Toten

Dan Golden

Rebecca Wright

Hail Hamilton

Joan Schmidt

LaQuetta Shamblee

STUART TOLCHIN

PUT THE LIGHTS ON

RICH JOHNSON

 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!


IS DEMOCRACY NATURAL?


Two weeks ago, when I picked up the Mountain Views News 
from the newsstand I immediately looked for my weekly 
article. It was not present! With all the turmoil occurring 
around Pasadena and Sierra Madre this was too much. I 
panicked. My wife calmed me down and pointed out it was 
a special Fourth of July edition, and she found it in the second 
section on page B9 . There was my article entitled Can 
We Learn from Trees?

Relieved, I walked across the street to the restaurant where typically on Sundays 
my wife and I awaited the arrival of my daughter and granddaughter. As 
we waited a few minutes I looked at the first page of the second section which 
was entirely covered with cursive writing which I could not read without my 
glasses. As I hunted through my pockets for my glasses my daughter arrived, 
but she explained that she could not stay for breakfast as she had to get back 
to her office quickly and continue working in connection with her representation 
of individuals recently wrongly detained in Pasadena. She is an incredibly 
busy Immigration Attorney now working around the clock in conjunction 
with other attorneys providing representation trying to enjoin unlawful and 
unwarranted detention.

After leaving her 5-year-old-daughter with us she gave instructions to bring 
her back to the Law Office in Pasadena in about 4 hours. I am a retired lawyer, 
and I asked if I could provide any help to her. She took the time to laugh and 
said I would be more of a burden than an asset. Anyway, now with my glasses 
I began to look at the second section of the paper. My granddaughter seated 
next to me is a reader but when she looked at that front page she was confused 
and angry. “What is that?” I looked at the page and there in cursive writing 
with which she is not yet familiar, there appeared the entire document entitled 
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America together 
with signatures below. (No capital in “united” at that time.)

My granddaughter, smart as she is, has yet to enter the first grade. I thought 
about the language in the copied document and specifically about the phrase 
“endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights" and realized that 
breakfast was not the time to begin that conversation. So, I turned instead 
to the back of the section and tried to involve her in thinking about learning 
from trees.

My granddaughter was not interested and said something like "you can’t learn 
from trees. They can’t even talk. It’s not natural.” With that my granddaughter 
made a grab for my wife’s iPhone and our discussion stopped, but I’ve been 
thinking about “what is natural” ever since. Now it seems like I’m going to 
jump to another subject but in my head, it is all connected. Is our democracy 
“natural” and what is it? I have been trying to reread the book the Dawn of Everything 
and checked out “Democracy” in the index. On page 367 the book 
reads “.... democracy as we have come to know it is effectively a game of winners 
and losers played out among larger- than- life individuals, with the rest of 
us reduced largely to onlookers.” Well, that about covers it for me!

 At this very moment Democracy is not working. There must be a better way 
to put people in power who are trustworthy and qualified to make rational 
responsible decisions. How do corporations make decisions? According to my 
phone, corporations make decision s “through a hierarchical structure involving 
shareholders, the board of directors, and corporate officers.” Information 
from all sources is gathered and analyzed. It all sounds so rational and so 
natural and so different from the way decisions are being made now. Maybe 
rather than a world of warring nations, democratic, autocratic, or just plain 
chaotic, the future will involve responsible decision makers who mutually and 
peacefully will do what needs to be done.

That sounds like it would be more explainable to my granddaughter and me. 

That is what I would like to see as an onlooker rather than the lunacy that faces 
us now- as children are afraid to go to school and workers (except lawyers) are 
not going to work. What we have now does not seem to be natural or tolerable. 

One last note: Don’t get sick, especially if you are poor! 

Have you ever heard or used the expression I selected for this week’s 
column? Know what it means? “Much ado about nothing” means ‘a 
great deal of fuss over a thing of little importance’. “William Shakespeare 
selected the expression as the title of a play he published in 
1599. It also seems fitting as, not only the title of this column, also 
a general description of my content. 

So, let’s talk about nothing consequential. Hopefully it will be enjoyable. If it isn’t 
enjoyable and it puts you to sleep, well, I’ve still provided a valuable service.

To be really trivial, here’s some trivia regarding Disney and Disneyland. Who is 
the only member in the history of the Disney organization to be permitted facial 
hair up until 2014? (Other than Goofy.) Only Walt Disney was permitted facial 
hair. By the way, if you work for Disney, you are not an employee. You are a cast 
member. What’s more, as a cast member working at Disneyland you are not permitted 
to say “I don’t know” to a guest…ever. Asked a question, you have to pick 
up a telephone and call someone. Disney princesses must be between 5’4” and 5’8”. 
Another rule of “cast members” (employees): Everyone is a custodian. If you see 
trash on the ground, pick it up. If you’re asked directions, never point with just one 
finger. It’s offensive in some cultures. At least 2 fingers need to be pointed.

You will only see first names on Disneyland cast members badges because Walt 
Disney only liked to be called “Walt”. For years, the code words over the radio 
when a park guest “loses their lunch” is to say it was a “protein spill”. Now it is 
simply referred to as “Code V”.

Other relatively useless information:

Mapquest really needs to start its direction on number five. Pretty sure we all know 
how to get out of our neighborhoods.

Dave Barry tells us if you are on the phone seeking advice from a computer professional, 
realize when they call you the ‘user’ they mean ‘idiot’.

Emilia Clarke is quoted as saying:, “My father always said, ‘Never trust anyone 
whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf”.

“The lion shall lie down with the calf, but the calf won’t get much sleep’. Woody 
Allen

Test to see if you are an intellectual: Put on “the William Tell Overture”. If you don’t 
immediately think of “The Lone Ranger” you may be an intellectual.

Anonymous tells us “Bigamy is having one husband too many. Monogamy is the 
same”.

Mick Jagger once insisted in public his wrinkles were actually laugh lines. Jazz 
singer George Melly replied, “Surely nothing could be that funny.”

Being a super fan of Katharine Hepburn, I share one of the few times she got 
bested in a verbal joust. Ms. Hepburn so hated filming a movie with legendary 
actor John Barrymore she declared: “Mr. Barrymore, I am never going to act with 
you again.” To which Barrymore replied: "My dear, you still haven’t”. Ouch! I still 
love you Ms. Hepburn.

Reminder!! My rock band, JJ Jukebox is performing Saturday evening, July 19 at 
Nano Café in Sierra Madre. No cover charge. Just come for dinner, drinks, dancing…
oh and good music 6:30-9:30. Nanos is at 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. (626) 
325-3334

Fables and Fancies is still my favorite bookstore of all time. It is in the heart of 
downtown Sierra Madre. They stock both new and “new to you” books. So, you 
can get some really good deals on books. They are at 50 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 
(626) 665-8856. And they have free parking in the back. Psss’t: If you are a cat or 
dog lover, they have some wonderful little books perfect for keeping or gifting. My 
favorite cat book is entitled (forgive me) “I Could Pee On This”. That title (and its 
little quips) so define the true attitudes of cats. Great fun.

And thank you for enduring another column…if you made it!

Mountain Views News 
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Case number GS004724: 
for the City of Sierra 
Madre; in Court Case 
GS005940 and for the 
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is published every Saturday 
at 80 W. Sierra Madre 
Blvd., No. 327, Sierra 
Madre, California, 91024. 
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HOWARD Hays As I See It


I was leaving immigration court the other day, feeling 
fairly good about the fact two of my clients had avoided 
deportation orders, when I heard the words “Christine 
Flowers, you are a disgusting human being.”

At first, I thought it was a friend who was playing a joke, 
because we often connect in front of that building. But 
when I looked over, I saw a man with numerous tattoos, a 
beard, earrings and a recyclable grocery bag staring directly 
at me. I’d never seen this rather fey specimen before in my 
life, and it was definitely not my friend. I approached him 
and said, “what did you call me?” He repeated “disgusting 
human being.”

And so I did what everyone does these days, pulled out my cell phone and posted 
a video of me asking him to tell the universe how he felt about your humble 
columnist. To his credit, he didn’t run away. He said, clearly and in a somewhat 
singsongy tone: “You are a disgusting human being Christine, inside and out.”

Ouch. It wasn’t my fault the humidity level was high and I looked like a cross 
between a Caucasian Chaka Khan and a Pomeranian. At the age of 63, I should 
be used to people insulting my looks when they dislike my politics, but I am 
particularly sensitive when it comes to my hair.

The interesting thing is, his attack on my character didn’t phase me at all. Since 
I’ve begun to express my opinions publicly years ago, I’ve been the target of a lot 
of anger and hatred from the sort of people who specialize in pearl clutching, even 
when they are exactly the sort of people who reject the whole concept of pearls, 
jewels, and affluence.

My words generally annoy the progressives who, like to think that they represent 
a more evolved version of human. They love immigrants, especially the ones they 
pay to clean their studio apartments. They march for women’s rights, as long 
as those women make sure to consider babies an accessory like the ubiquitous 
recyclable grocery bags. They believe in respecting minorities, except when those 
minorities end up having a mind of their own and don’t buy into the collective 
“we are victims” narrative. Then, they become obligingly preachy and Privilege-
splain to the other folks just how victimized they are.

That is how I generally feel about progressives, and I am not upset when they 
reciprocate the “love.” As someone said to me, if you put yourself out there, expect 
not to be palatable to everyone.

The thing that bothers me, though, is the ones who so often embrace the concept 
of tolerance are incapable of tolerating those who don’t agree with them. While 
I have had some problems with conservatives over the years, particularly now 
that they seem to have just morphed into People’s Temple cult members who 
believe the mothership in the White House is the center of all goodness and 
reason, my biggest issue is with the leftists. I don’t say liberals, because some of 
my best friends are, you know, liberal, and they are capable of reasoning. One of 
my closest friends is a lifelong Democrat who has taught me more about integrity 
than many of my fellow travelers on the right.

But no conservative has accosted me on the street to tell me what a disgusting 
human I am. I’ve been called “squishy” and a RINO and Michael Smerconish in a 
skirt, but there has been more a sense of sadness and disappointment than anger.

It’s always the progressives, the entitled leftists who think they have a right to 
attack strangers. It is the spirit that allows them to march in the streets with masks 
on their faces, screaming about a genocide they can’t even spell correctly. It is the 
same thing that motivates them to hold signs saying “Abort that Jawn” in front of 
a pro life protest.

It’s what allows them to yell at me in a Wine and Spirits store that I am a homophobe, 
even when I’d just won an asylum case for a gay man from Guatemala. Obviously, 
I don’t hate gays. However, as I mentioned to my heckler pointing at his hands, I 
do hate people who buy pre-packaged Pina Colada Mix.

So while I am not exactly thrilled to have been yelled at, I chalk it up to the fact 
some people were raised by wolves and feel uncomfortable when they encounter 
another breed of animal outside of the pack. Someone like me, equally hairy in 
the humidity, but less feral and more articulate in her beliefs, and more consistent 
in her values.

Christine Flowers is a Philadelphia Lawyer who loves the Eagles but can leave the 
cheesesteaks. She writes about anything that will likely annoy the majority of people, 
and in her spare time practices immigration law (which is bound to annoy at least 
some people.)

CHRISTINE FLOWERS

“Today, hundreds of employees 
at the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NO-
AA), including weather 
forecasters at the 
National Weather 
Service (NWS), were given 
termina-tion notices for no good reason. 
This is unconscionable.” – Rep. Grace Meng 
(R-NY) last Febru-ary, on DOGE staffing 
cuts

 

“I can’t hear you.” – President Donald 
Trump, responding to reporter’s question 
on connection between staffing cuts at the 
NWS and the flash flood tragedy in Texas

 Last May, five former directors of the 
National Weather Service warned in an 
open letter; “Our worst nightmare is that 
weather forecast offices will be so understaffed 
that there will be need-less loss of 
life”. Tom Fahy, legislative director for the 
NWS employees’ union, added, “The risk is 
extremely high – if cuts like this continue 
to the National Weather Service, people 
will die.”

 The NWS has lost 600 employees since 
January. The AP reported that “Hundreds 
more experienced forecasters and senior 
managers were encouraged to retire ear-ly.” 
Many offices closed overnight operations 
– as one of those five former NWS directors 
warned that “The worst-case scenario 
we could have if this situation con-tinues 
would be the development of a severe storm 
that would start after mid-night.”

 

The flash flood warning came at 1:14am 
on July 4th. By 5:00am, a Flood Hazard 
Outlook was upgraded from “considerable” 
to “catastrophic”. Floodwaters had risen 26 
feet in less than an hour before dawn.

 

Calling for an investigation, Sen. Chuck 
Schumer (D-NY) pointed out that among 
the unfilled positions at the San Antonio 
and San Angelo NWS offices were “experts 
responsible for modeling storm impacts, 
monitoring rising water levels, issuing 
flood warnings, and coordinating directly 
with local emergency managers about 
when to warn the public and issue evacuation 
orders”.

 

White House press secretary Karoline 
Leavitt declared that “Blaming President 
Trump for these floods is a depraved lie.” 
Journalist and environmentalist Michael 
Dominowski responded on X, “Nobody 
is blaming Trump for the floods. But he 
did decimate National Weather Service 
fore-cast offices, despite being told doing 
so would hamper the agency’s ability to accurately 
predict storms. He did it anyway. 
Look what happened. Cause/effect is a 
thing.”

 Trump biographer Seth Abramson posted, 
“I have no difficulty saying that Trump and 
Musk caused some of the 50+ (now over a 
hundred – a third of them children) flood 
deaths in Texas. And here's why: these 
two men with no expertise in disas-ter 
preparedness were told not to cut the positions 
they cut, and were told people would 
die if they did. And then people died”. As 
for accusations of politicizing the tragedy, 
Abramson adds, “the Democrats should respond: 
THAT'S BECAUSE THE DEATHS 
ARE POLITICAL. POLITICIANS 
CAUSED THEM.”

 

In 2017 and 2018, officials from Kerr 
County, where children were killed at that 
girls’ camp, ap-plied for $1 million from 
FEMA funds made available through 
states for preventive measures. Both times, 
Texas’ Division of Emergency Management 
turned them down – and lo-cal residents 
didn’t want to pick up the tab for the warning 
system on their own.

 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott later spent $4.5 
billion to persecute immigrants through 
the National Guard, expanded detention 
facilities, buoys and razor wire in the Rio 
Grande, etc. In his Esquire opinion piece, 
Charles P. Pierce asks, “Does barbed wire in 
a river on the border really count for more 
politically than 27 drowned children?”

 

Gov. Abbott did show up at a press conference 
the day after the flood – along with 
DHS Secre-tary Kristi Noem, Sen. John 
Cornyn (R-TX) and all those officers in 
dress uniforms and cowboy hats lined up 
behind them. Abbott thanked President 
Trump and asked for prayers. Secretary 
Noem thanked Abbott and said she’d been 
speaking with the President. Sen. Cornyn 
thanked President Trump, Abbott and 
Noem. 

 

News anchor Stephania Jimenez was live on 
San Antonio’s KSAT: “whenever disasters 
like this happen, they take it upon themselves 
to first list all the names of people 
they want to thank. Um, not what we want 
to hear right now.” We were warned of the 
consequences if certain things happened, 
and now those who ignored the warnings 
were enjoying their photo-op while the 
body count was multiplying in real time.

 

We were warned what would happen if 
the HHS Department were turned over 
to anti-vaccine quacks and now measles, 
thought eradicated in 2000, is back at its 
highest level in 33 years. We were warned 
the dismantling of the US Agency for 
International Development would bring 14 
million deaths over five years. That’s now 
happening.

 

We’re warned this new budget will cause 
12 million Americans to lose their health 
coverage; 5 million Americans to lose food 
assistance; 18 million kids to lose school 
lunches; nearly $4 trillion added to our 
national debt over ten years with interest 
doubling to $2 trillion and taking up 
30% of revenues – all, according to former 
Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, in exchange 
for giving “a million dollars over 10 
years to the top tenth of a percent of our 
population.”

 

And then when the time comes, there will 
be denials that consequences they were 
warned about had anything to do with 
actions they’d taken after being warned 
against taking them. But what-ever their 
excuse, it can’t be that “Nobody expected it” 
- as President Trump responded to a flash 
flood that happened in an area known as 
“Flash Flood Alley”.


Mountain Views News

Mission Statement

The traditions of 
community news-
papers and the 
concerns of our readers 
are this newspaper’s 
top priorities. We 
support a prosperous 
community of well-
informed citizens. We 
hold in high regard the 
values of the exceptional 
quality of life in our 
community, including 
the magnificence of 
our natural resources. 
Integrity will be our guide. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com