I'm tired of being optimistic about the new year. Since Covid-19, we've all hoped the next new year would bring better times, but each subsequent year since 2020 has sucked, culminating with the October 7th Invasion & War and Increased Hatred of Groups of People. And our City Council ? NOT HELPING.
People suck.
But, as R.O. says: "we do go after the Vanguard on here". And that is the most important thing — even more important than world peace.
The Davis City Council is poised to pass a resolution this Tuesday night (12/12) on Israel-Palestine.
Last Tuesday a couple of dozen people spoke during general public comment regarding this upcoming resolution. About 95% spoke in favor of a ‘cease fire’ by Israel. The speakers appeared to be organized by Jewish Voices for Peace who had “Not in Our Name” t-shirts, along with several persons of Palestinian lineage. One Jewish man, not from Jewish Voices for Peace, spoke of Hamas as a dangerous organization.
Most who spoke asked for the resolution by the City of Davis to include a demand a ‘cease fire’. There were several who spoke of the genocide against the Palestinians. This word is a matter of intense debate and emotional weight. Others argue instead that Hamas had ‘genocidal intentions’ on October 7th but lacked the means to carry it out. While word definitions hold no inherent truth, groups of people define words to hold an agreed-upon meaning, and certain words and phrases invoke intense emotional reactions in regard to this conflict.
I had a clear message for the City Council last week: “Don’t Do It”. As some may know, I stand firm in the belief that cities should only conduct city business and not get involved in national or global issues, no matter how seemingly righteous or important. But the potential repercussions from this resolution goes so far beyond that. This resolution has the potential to damage Davis both within and from without . . . and needlessly. We all remember the long and tortured tale of the Davis Ghandi statue, another dip of the Davis toe into international waters. What could go wrong displaying a depiction of ‘a man of peace’? What could go wrong with supporting a declaration ‘for peace’?
Yup. It's happening! Mom's for Liberty is suing the Davis Library for violating their first amendment rights.
And what better place to discuss it than on the free Davis bloglet that hasn't banned a bunch of people from its comment section: Al's Corner!!!
Welp — Unlike David Greenwald I'm not going to copy most of the article source material and nest that within a few badly-written sentences of my own. Nope, I'm just gonna give you the link, and you can read it yourself 😐
https://adfmedia.org/case/moms-liberty-yolo-county-v-lopez
Mostly I wanted to scoop the Davis Greenwald on a major breaking local story. And I don't even get the paltry drippings of a salary to do so.
But even More Mostly: let's talk about it, Davis! This is major shit.
Go Free Speech!
I love a good shit show!
I wonder how many cops in riot gear we'll have this time? (I counted 100 at Charlie Kirk)
I wonder how many Proud Boys will show up? (I didn't see any at Charlie Kirk)
I wonder how many protestors there will be? (I counted 50 swelling to 100 at Charlie Kirk)
I wonder how much property damage and confrontations with the police there will be? (I observed at Charlie Kirk protestors aligned with Cops Off Campus threw eggs at cops, taunted cops with chants against cops, blocks people from entering, insulted attendees as racists and bigots, threw objects such as water bottles at attendees leaving, and as captured on film, smashed in the glass windows on the doors to the RecHall
Across from the Mondavi Center – Protest begins in the grassy area at 5:30pm, Doors 6:15pm or earlier, Riley Show 7-9pm, After-Crap 9pm.
Go free speech! Go non-violet protest! Protest in any other color!
Do you also enjoy a good Shit Show? See you there!
I found this on the Facebook page of a group calling itself "Davis College Republicans". This group is stating its opposition to calls of violence against people of Jewish descent and condemns posts by an assistant professor calling for attacks on 'pro-Israel' journalists and their children.
Furthermore, this group is doubling-down on its commitment to the principles of free speech and open dialogue, but also believes that there are limits to these principles when the speech includes threats of violence and harm against any group or individual.
Most shockingly, this group says that it remains dedicated to upholding the values of civil discourse, open debate, and respectful dialogue, and firmly believes that disagreements should be met with discussion and understanding, not with threats or intimidation.
Now that we are aware that a group exists on the UC Davis Campus with values such as these, and openly states these values, the question for all of us in Davis is: what are 'we' going to 'do' about 'it' ? 😐
If you don't believe me that a group with such values could exist so close to us, on our beloved UC Davis Campus, here is their press release, in their own words:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Davis College Republicans
October 23, 2023
Contact: James Murray, Communications Director
daviscollegerepublican@email.com
Davis College Republicans Oppose Calls of Violence Against People of Jewish Descent
DAVIS, CA- In the past week, Assistant Professor of American Studies Jemma Decristo posted tweets advocating for attacks against, pro-Israel Journalists, and their children. Davis College Republicans unequivocally denounce and condemn these posts.
On October 10, Decristo posted a tweet containing disturbing language expressing threats to "Zionist journalists" who "have houses with address, kids in school" and "they should fear us more," ending the post with emojis of a knife, an axe, and blood.
The Davis College Republicans wish to make it abundantly clear that we unequivocally denounce and condemn these posts. While we hold firm to the principles of free speech and open dialogue, we also believe that there are limits to these principles. Threats of violence and harm against any group or individual are entirely unacceptable and fall far outside the parameters of protected speech.
We stand in agreement with the official statement released by UC Davis, emphasizing the importance of protected speech within our community. However, it is crucial to stress that the tweets in question do not align with this protection, as they promote violence and fear. In order to maintain a respectful and intellectual discourse within our society, we must collectively reject such violent rhetoric.
Davis College Republicans remain dedicated to upholding the values of civil discourse, open debate, and respectful dialogue. We firmly believe that disagreements should be met with discussion and understanding, not with threats or intimidation.
DCR is a local College Republican organization dedicated to growing the conservative movement on the UC Davis campus and in surrounding counties. For more information visit our Facebook and Instagram pages @DavisCollege Republicans.
Stated during general public comment at the City Council Meeting 2023-10-04
The Davis Police Department issued a statement on recent events (https://www.davisvanguard.org/2023/09/police-chief-responds-to-bomb-threats-warns-of-criminal-prosecution/) I agree with much of the statement, but a few things disturbed me:
Not much going on in Davis these days . . . coming up short on starter topics . . . #sigh# . . . anyone?
NOT "REAL" – PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE IS – "NOT REAL" (It is my "duty" to tell you that 😉 )
This was produced in about 3 seconds by ChatGPT. The input to ChatGPT to produce this fake press release follows below. At the Davis Vanguard they give you a real press releases produced by real people using real quotes. Here at Al's Corner, we give you a false press release produced by artificial intelligence! Because we care.
[Joint Statement]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A Joint Statement From The Davis Joint Unified School District, Davis City, and Yolo County, Regarding and Condemning The Bomb Threats of September 20, 2023
[Davis, CA, September 21, 2023] – The Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD), the City of Davis, and Yolo County stand united in condemning the series of bomb threats that occurred on September 20, 2023, targeting educational institutions and public spaces within our community. Such acts of terror have no place in our society, and we are committed to working collaboratively to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents, especially our students and educators.
This shocking incident has not only disrupted our peaceful community but has also instilled fear and anxiety among our residents. We want to assure everyone that we take these threats seriously, and our law enforcement agencies are actively investigating the matter to identify those responsible. The safety and security of our community remain our utmost priority.
We call upon our community members to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity promptly, and support one another during these trying times. Together, we will stand strong and resilient against such threats to our cherished community.
Statement by DJUSD Board of Education President Lea Darrah
"As President of the DJUSD Board of Education, I am deeply saddened by the events that unfolded on September 20th. Our schools are meant to be safe havens for learning and growth. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the security of our students and staff, and we stand with our community against acts of violence."
Statement by Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza
"Yolo County condemns these despicable acts in the strongest possible terms. Our community is founded on principles of peace, unity, and compassion. We are committed to supporting law enforcement in bringing those responsible to justice and will provide resources to help our community heal."
Statement by Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs
"As a representative of Yolo County, I am appalled by the threat to our community's safety. We must remember that unity and resilience are our strengths. We will emerge from this challenge stronger than ever, determined to protect our residents and maintain the harmony we hold dear."
Statement by City of Davis Mayor Will Arnold
"Davis is a community that values education, inclusivity, and peace. The recent bomb threats are an affront to these principles. Our city stands shoulder to shoulder with DJUSD and Yolo County, committed to ensuring the safety of our citizens and the preservation of our shared values."
#####
INPUT: "ChatGPT, please write me a one page press release that is A Joint Statement From The Davis Joint Unified School District, Davis City, and Yolo County, Regarding and Condemning The Bomb Threats of September 20, 2023. Include a joint statement for about half the page, and then individual, 2-3 sentence statements from four persons: DJUSD Board of Education President Lea Darrah, Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza, Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs, City of Davis Mayor Will Arnold. Make each individual statement unique and in their style of making statements. Have each individual statement in a paragraph under a title in bold that includes each of the four people’s name and title. Place each of the individual statements within the bounds of quotation marks."
SUBJECT: "Commentary: A Wake Up Call" (Wednesday's Blavis Blansplard)
Only DG could get a robo-call about solar panels from a call center in India and think it was a a wake-up call. I was rummaging through the trash behind Vanguard Headquarters on Thursday evening at 8:17 p.m. and found the recipe for the article. As a public service I am posting it here:
Davisite 
SUBJECT: "Support the Vanguard on #GivingTuesday" [Monday's Van Guard]
I have a rule for Taking Tuesday — if someone asks me for money, or even uses the cringe phrase "Giving Tuesday", I never give them any money ever, and furthermore attempt to take money from them. On Monday, the Van's Guard mentioned giving Tuesday, with open comments. Did someone not consider that closing comments would be a good idea, given past experience? Oh, yeah, you got rid of that pesky Alan Miller guy. Still . . .