Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 12, 2022

OPINION Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 12, 2022 14 OPINION Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 12, 2022 14 
MOUNTAIN 

VIEWS 

NEWS 

PUBLISHER/ EDITOR

Susan Henderson 

PASADENA CITY 
EDITOR 

Dean Lee 

PRODUCTION 

SALES 

Patricia Colonello 
626-355-2737 
626-818-2698 

WEBMASTER 

John Aveny 

DISTRIBUTION 

Peter Lamendola 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Stuart Tolchin 
Audrey SwansonMeghan MalooleyMary Lou CaldwellKevin McGuire 
Chris Leclerc 
Bob Eklund 
Howard HaysPaul CarpenterKim Clymer-KelleyChristopher NyergesPeter Dills 
Rich Johnson 
Lori Ann Harris 
Rev. James SnyderKatie HopkinsDeanne Davis 
Despina ArouzmanJeff Brown 
Marc Garlett 
Keely TotenDan Golden 
Rebecca WrightHail Hamilton 
Joan Schmidt 
LaQuetta Shamblee 

Mountain Views News 
has been adjudicated asa newspaper of GeneralCirculation for the County 
of Los Angeles in CourtCase number GS004724: 
for the City of SierraMadre; in Court CaseGS005940 and for the 
City of Monrovia in CourtCase No. GS006989 and 
is published every Saturday 
at 80 W. Sierra MadreBlvd., No. 327, Sierra 
Madre, California, 91024.
All contents are copyrighted 
and may not bereproduced without the 
express written consent ofthe publisher. All rights 
reserved. All submissions 
to this newspaper becomethe property of the Mountain 
Views News and maybe published in part or 
whole. 
Opinions and views expressed 
by the writersprinted in this paper donot necessarily expressthe views and opinionsof the publisher or staff 
of the Mountain Views 
News. 

Mountain Views News is 
wholly owned by GraceLorraine Publications,
and reserves the right torefuse publication of advertisements 
and other 
materials submitted for 
publication. 

Letters to the editor and 
correspondence should 
be sent to: 

Mountain Views News 
80 W. Sierra Madre Bl. 
#327 
Sierra Madre, Ca.
91024 

Phone: 626-355-2737 
Fax: 626-609-3285 
email: 

mtnviewsnews@aol.com 


A member of 
the 
California 
NewspaperPublishers 
Association 

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, includingthe magnificence of 
our natural resources. 


Integrity will be our guide. 

STUART TOLCHIN 
PUT THE LIGHTS ON 


VALOR OR VALUE 

Let’s make an attempt gain some understanding of 
what is going on around us. Perhaps, like me you are trying 
to close your eyes to everything and imitate your kids 
and grandkids by playing video games. We older folk are 
spending our time walking our dogs, (whether or not they 
need to be walked), waiting in unbelievably long lines to 
pick up our kids from school so that these kids won’t have 
to walk the few blocks home on the city streets which we 
now feel to be unsafe. 

Imagine the unthinkable? Imagine Trump as our 
current President. Well, probably the spectacle of the horrific devastation of the 
Ukraine would not be taking place. By withdrawing from NATO Trump had already 
demonstrated that he was in accord with Putin, probably following his instructions to 
refuse military aid to the Ukraine unless he could be assisted in maintaining his office. 

Remember the first impeachment? Remember that all predictions asserted that the 
Russian attempt to absorb the Ukraine was a forgone conclusion? 

Absent American opposition, I doubt that the European nations would have opposed 
the Russians. In similar previous situations the Russians (Putin) have retaken Georgian 
and Crimea with little opposition. There would have been no bombings, no 
breakup of families, and no forced emigration by millions to places unknown. Hopefully, 
there would have been increased liberal opposition to Putin as had already been 
demonstrated well before his invasion of the Ukraine. 

In the short run, Trump’s presence might have been preferable but it does conflict 
with many of our individual ideals and values. What is most important? Examining 
my own values what comes first is the welfare of my wife, children, and grandchild. 
I wish that I could say that I was involved with other members of the extended 
Tolchin family, but I am not. 

 The name Tolchin is the name of the Ukrainian city where my grandfather was born. 
In doing a little research I learned that there exists something called the Tolchin syndrome 
characterized by behavioral problems labile mood, and aggressive episodes, 
and ADHD. Perhaps this description explains our inability to retain friendly connections 
but also explains an aversion to extreme behavior. 

I do have very strong emotions and opinions which I freely, and perhaps inappropriately 
express. I care most about my immediate family and after that I care about 
the world. I care about the rights of the oppressed, about the need for diversity and 
equality and the end of huge economic disparity. 

Recently, l attended the graduation of my wife’s nephew from Montebello High School. 
The valedictorian had an Asian last name but of the remaining number of students the 
number with non-Latino last names could, according to our nephew, be counted on 
one hand. The consequences of this residential racial segregation leads to inequalities 
in almost every area of life. 

I recognize the perils of our species today and the need to eliminate the reliance 
on fossil fuels and plastics and to be subject to an out of control technology. Yes 
there are all sorts of problems, but to me the most important thing is to stay sane and 
avoid the violence which can easily escalate. I hate hearing about domestic abuse, and 
the abuse of children. I hate hearing about the presence of firearms on the streets of 
America. I hate the stockpiling of nuclear weapons by the powerful, often unstable, 
nations. I asked to be considered a conscientious objector fifty five years ago but that 
request was considered inadequate by the Selective Service Board as it was based only 
upon my own feeling rather than some religious tradition. I hate that too and I still 
believe our first obligation to the world is to avoid violence and to stay alive. Am I 
saying “Better red than dead?” No, I am not; but we must find other alternatives. 

In the eighth grade, I went to a SANE committee meeting. (STOP ALL NUCLEAR 
EXPLOSIVES) and have maintained this same understanding. Today, even more so. 
Unfortunately, a huge percentage of our country has been misled to believe that life is 
about a quest for riches, fame and fun. What happened to SANity. 

This the true fight—not the fight with guns and bombs but rather the fight to eliminate 
those guns and bombs and still have some fun and be able to send your kids to 
decent schools! 

JOHN MICEK 
WITH UKRAINE WAR, REPUBLICANS 
FIND RELIGION ON DEMOCRACY 


Rep. Scott Perry 

(R., Pa.), who 

once advised 

President Don


ald Trump’s 

White House 

on undermin


ing the 2020 

election re


sults, and who 

was a target of 

the U.S. House 

committee investigating 
the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. 
Capitol, has now found a democracy worth 
defending. 

It’s in Kyiv. 

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Perry denounced 
Russian strongman Vladimir Putin 
as a “murderous thug” who’s “targeting 
civilians [and] committing war crimes” as 
his forces try to shatter the eastern European 
nation. 

“Congress must stand united to demand 
[Putin] and his thug regime are brought to 
justice,” thundered Perry, a veteran, who 
played a “key role” in Trump’s abortive plot 
two years ago to oust his acting attorney 
general and replace him with one more sympathetic 
to Trump’s fact-free and debunked 
claims that the 2020 election had been stolen 
from him. 
Perry isn’t alone, of course. 

Other Republicans, apparently immune to 
the epic cognitive dissonance it takes to simultaneously 
condemn Russia and stand in 
solidarity with Ukraine, even as they retain 
membership in a political party that dismisses 
the sacking of the Capitol as an exercise 
in “legitimate political discourse,” also 
are bravely and unironically stepping into 
the breach. 

Take House Minority Leader Kevin 
McCarthy. 

During a recent appearance on Fox & 
Friends, the chamber’s top Republican 
criticized President Joe Biden for dragging 
his feet on providing military assistance to 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 
government. 

“The challenge that we have is, it’s the actions 
that we could have done before from 
this administration to make sure today 
wasn’t happening,” McCarthy told the network. 
“We could have supplied the weapons 
to Ukraine. They’re not asking for American 
troops, they’re just asking for the ability to 
fight.” 

McCarthy also noted that Ukraine has 
been “outgunned” by Russia and said that 
“we could have deterred this from ever 
happening.” 

McCarthy had no such reservations, however, 
about Trump, as journalist Aaron Rupar 
notes. The GOP House leader, who’s been 
working diligently to purge his conference 
of all Trump apostates “staunchly opposed 
Trump’s impeachment for using military 
aide [sic] to extort Ukraine,” Rupar recently 
observed on Twitter. 

It’s safe to say that the Republicans who embraced 
Trump, and looked the other way at 
his warm embrace of the “murderous thug” 
in Moscow whose regime meddled in the 
2016 elections, now face a credibility gap as 
wide as the Volga River they race to get on 
the right side of history. 

And it’ll take some doing. In a Fox News 
poll released last month, prior to the Russian 
invasion, more Republicans had a negative 
view of Biden than they did of Putin. And if 
their current contortions weren’t so reality-
beggaring, they might almost be amusing. 

“It’s clear there is bipartisan consensus in the 
House and Senate to support Ukraine with 
weapons and impose even tougher sanctions 
on Putin,” Perry’s fellow Pennsylvania Republican, 
Rep. Dan Meuser, wrote on Twitter 
after joining a bipartisan call with Zelenskyy 
last weekend. 

Now rewind a year. 

Hours after the murderous horde stormed 
the Capitol in January 2021, Meuser still 
joined with seven of his home state GOP 
colleagues to object to Pennsylvania’s election 
results. And, just like his Republican 
colleagues who all won re-election under the 
same ground rules, Meuser did not step up 
to contest the legitimacy of his own contest. 

Some attempted violent overthrows of democratically 
elected governments just hit differently, 
it seems. 

Despite his own sagging poll numbers, 
Biden got a small bounce from his State of 
the Union address, which prominently featured 
tough talk on Russia and ardent support 
for Ukraine. Voters narrowly approve 
of Biden’s management of the growing crisis, 
46-42 percent, in a recent Politico/Morning 
Consult poll. 

That might not be enough to save Biden and 
his fellow Democrats as they try to hang 
onto the House and Senate this fall. 

But they can spend every minute between 
now and November reminding voters that, 
when it counted, the congressional GOP was 
missing in action when it was their turn to 
defend democracy at home. 

An award-winning political journalist, John L. 
Micek is Editor-in-Chief of The Pennsylvania 
Capital-Star 

On The Lighter Side Of The News This Week: Kind of! 

RICH JOHNSON NOW THAT’S RICH 


AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 
REVOKED 

It has come to your intrepid reporter’s attention 
that legal actions have been taken against 
the United States of America. Actions that affect 
our very sovereignty. 

According to the internet (which is always 
truthful and accurate) Her Sovereign Majesty, 

Queen Elizabeth II, reacting to our incompetence 
at governing ourselves, has revoked our independence effective 
immediately. 

By the time you read this article her majesty stated she will have resumed 
monarchical duties over all 50 states and Puerto Rico. 

Crown spokesperson John Cleese has submitted a list of rules which 
are introduced with immediate effect. Here are highlights of those 
rules. 

1. The letter ‘U’ will be reinstated immediately in words such as 
‘colour’, ‘favour’, and ‘neighbour’. 
2. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you 
will start driving on the left side of the road with immediate effect. 
3. The country will go metric immediately and without the benefit 
of conversion tables. 
4. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call 
French fries are not real chips. And those things you insist on calling 
potato chips are properly called “crisps.” 
5. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually 
beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred 
to as “beer” and European brews of known and accepted provenance 
will be referred to as “Lager.” All American brands will be referred to 
as “Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine”, so that all can be sold without risk of 
further confusion. 
6. You will cease playing American “football.” There is only 
one kind of proper football; you call it “soccer.” Those of you brave 
enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has similarities 
to American “football”, but does not involve stopping for a rest every 
twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour, like a bunch of 
nancies). 
7. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors as good 
guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play 
English characters. No exceptions. 
8. You will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an 
event called the “World Series” for a game which is not played outside 
of America. 
9. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty’s 
Government will be contacting you shortly to ensure the acquisition 
of all monies due backdated to 1776. 
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