Category: Uncategorized

By Bertie Brouhard

The hands needing holding might be yours. You’ve finally realized that you’ve accumulated too much stuff. You for whatever reason have decided to downsize. Maybe because of your age, death of a partner, spouse or close relative, your financial situation – change of address, needing extra cash; whatever the reason. Or it could be as simple as a lifetime of collecting is now too overwhelming to manage, care for or enjoy? You’ve gifted family, friends and a charitable organization or two. You may have had a garage or yardsale. Listed items on Craigslist, Facebook’s Marketplace or taped “Free” signs to items in your front yard. But a mountain, large or small of “stuff” remains, and it needs to disappear.

In Cairo, Egypt. I was wowed by a long, shallow draft canoe filled with items a pharoah (those guys who built the pyramids) thought they could sail  (with their cherished treasures) into the afterlife. They couldn’t and you can’t. After the memorial service, “funeral” if you will, the Pastor was asked, “How much did the ole boy (deceased) leave?”

The Pastor answered, “He left it all.” So will we.

But it’s human nature. Especially in our consumer driven culture to have our identity, our worth, our memories deeply embedded in things. Our dress (shoes, suits, handbags, jewelry, hats, coats, et al), our hobbies (goff clubs, bikes, books, cooking utensils, boats, fishing gear, ad nauseum), our household belonging (couches, chairs, lamps, tables, beds ad infinitum), our vocation needs (tools, instruments, gages, computers, phones ad mysterium) and those of your loved ones are cherished; your, their “Holy Grail of Stuff.”

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By Bertie Brouhard

He died earlier this month. James Chandler Augustine, my dear friend for most of 75 years. Passed on in Gothenburg, Nebraska. Now no longer suffering from COPD that drained his energy and spirit. He was 80 and failing.

For about a dozen years; ages 6 to 18 we were the tightest of “ buds,” very close coloring each other’s lives, filling in the blanks and spaces that shaped, molded, defined us. His death crowded my aging brain with so many marvelous memories of our youth. This article is not an obituary but hopefully a celebration of his life and perhaps an aid for you in handling the loss of a loved one.

Of course please don’t waste your time reading this if you happen to be one of the fortunate few who have not suffered such loss. If you’re one please email me or at least start wondering when you might join us. My intent is for us both – you the reader (entertained) and me the writer (needing therapy)  – to benefit from these mostly true tales of our youth.

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By Roberta Millstein

Fellow Davisites, time and time again I promise myself that this is my last post about Eric Jones. And time and time again, he does something more outrageous and I feel obligated to call it out.

Now he’s using the more than $15 million of his venture capitalist money — or perhaps it’s his millions of donated tech oligarch money — to tell even more lies about Thompson. (Remember this lie that Rep Zoe Lofgren had to call out?)

His former campaign staffers are standing by him, though, to correct the record:

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by Alan C. Miller (song parody)

Sung to the tune of “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul

🎵 YOU AND ERIC JONES 🎵

(The Yolo-Sonoma-Colusa-Lake-Napa-Placer-Sacramento-Sutter-Yuba Congressional Blues)

🎶 You and Eric Jones…
Eric Jones, Eric Jones, Eric Jones…
He got duplicity going on…

Every day he’s changing his tune,
Left in the morning, right by noon.
He’ll promise you anything, whatever you choose,
He’s got ten different positions and nothing to lose.

🎶 You and Eric Jones…
Eric Jones, Eric Jones, Eric Jones…
He got duplicity going on…

The antizionist radicals all sing along!
From the farthest left in Davis town,
They’ve found their man, they’re gathering ’round!

He’ll tell you what you want to hear,
Then tell your neighbor the opposite, dear!
Two different flyers on the very same street,
One for the right, one for the left to read!

He’ll even give the Vanguard dough,
To help his reputation grow!
Silicon Valley pays the bills,
While Davis swallows all his pills!

🎶 You and Eric Jones…
Eric Jones, Eric Jones, Eric Jones…
He got duplicity going on…

Nobody knows just what he’s for,
But he’ll promise you more, and more, and more!

🎶 Ohhhh, Eric Jooooones… 🎶

(From press release) In a televised debate hosted by the League of Women Voters of Yolo County on Thursday, October 8th, Rep. Mike Thompson made the case about why he is best prepared to represent the district in Congress.

The forum made clear the stark differences between the two candidates’ backgrounds. Jones is a San Francisco venture capitalist whose firm profited from companies fined hundreds of millions of dollars including healthcare companies that repeatedly denied patient coverage, including emergency care, violated patients privacy laws, and preyed on seniors by illegally running up their medical bills.

Thompson spoke about his record of service to the families, farmers, workers, and small business owners of the 4th Congressional district, including $9 million he secured in disaster relief for peach farmers, $4 million he secured to combat the glassywinged sharpshooter and his comprehensive tax legislation aimed at lowering the cost of living for American families.

“San Francisco venture capitalist Eric Jones is asking this district to hand him a seat in Congress, but it’s not for sale, especially not to someone who isn’t from here and who made their fortune on the backs of seniors and patients,” said Thomas Dowling, campaign manager for Mike Thompson. “Voters deserve a representative who is battle tested, knows their district, and has earned their trust. That person is Rep. Mike Thompson.” 

Congressman Thompson is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care, tax, trade, Social Security and income security issues.  Congressman Thompson is the Ranking Member of the Tax Subcommittee and a senior member of the Health Subcommittee.  He is also a member of the fiscally responsible Blue Dog Coalition and a combat veteran. To learn more about Congressman Mike Thompson visit here.

By Alan C. Miller

And now, another blog posting from S.S. on the D.V.G.:

https://davisvanguard.org/2026/10/eric-jones-mike-thompson-ca4

And my tear apart:

“I am not fully for one candidate or the other. I see that Mike Thompson’s Establishment-Democrat methods and policies have been failing us for a while now.” — S.S.

You’re not fully for Eric Jones, but you claim Mike Thompson has failed us. Uh huh . . .

“Eric Jones offers a worthy alternative, even as he and his supporters have drawn significant ire . . . ” — S.S.

Can’t imagine why.

“Perhaps the independent, patriotic right can join the independent, patriotic left (and the middle, too) to vote for change” — S.S.

Perhaps those right/left patriotic pigs can fly [see illustration, above].

“While I might have preferred an outspoken progressive in the mold of Abdul El-Sayed . . . ” — S.S.

So, you’d like an Israel hater, by any other name.

“Jones is a populist/progressive, anti-establishment capitalist outsider . . . ” — S.S.

Outsider, of Yolo County, as well . . .

“Blue Dogs are notorious for breaking rank to vote against progressive populists, usually against most everyone’s interest . . . ” — S.S.

Your interest, in other words.

“[Thompson] believes he has been a good steward of an economy and social structure that serves the very wealthy.” — S.S.

And Eric Jones’ campaign is funded by the very wealthy.

“Jones is new, and not a progressive panacea.” — S.S.

What ever happened to those progressive panacea candidates?

“His reliance on market solutions makes his economic views closer to Thompson’s than mine.” — S.S.

The nerve of him relying on market solutions.

“Has [Jones] stuck to his no-PAC, corporate-money, and anti-donor-influence positions? Yes.” — S.S.

No.

“Critics of Jones complain that his rhetoric changes with the audience.” — S.S.

Thank you for trumpeting our point.

“Eric’s position on affordability hasn’t changed; he won’t accept the status quo system where most won’t be able to buy a home until they’re 40, if ever.” — S.S.

And I won’t accept the status quo on pigs not flying.

“[Jones] did not become convinced of the infallibility of foreign countries and their insatiable need to massacre an entire people under the pretext of safety.” — S.S.

Any . . . particular . . . foreign country you are speaking about, SS? Flying pig got your chicken tongue?

“[Jones] is more likely to continue fighting for structural change rather than settling for the decline of business as usual.” — S.S.

I thought the decline of business as usual was what you were looking for, SS

By John Smolenski

         I wrote previously about my disappointing experience at the townhall Eric Jones held in Davis on August 26. I had previously looked at Eric Jones’s website, ericjones.us, before the townhall, simply to get a sense of him and his campaign. This reinforced my impression of Jones. It also caused me to look back at how Jones’s ideas have evolved over time. This made me question Jones as a candidate even more. Jones announced his candidacy for Congress on August 17, 2025. Over the last year, his views have undergone remarkable transformations. He has undergone a significant shift to the right, especially after the June primary. Some major issues he previously championed have disappeared from view. His political values seem like a moving target. I have been left wondering what Jones actually stands for, on key issues.

         This is all drawn from ericjones.us, looking at the website as it now stands and earlier versions that can be found at the Wayback Machine. I have provided links for all screen shots.

         The issues I will explore here are: immigration; taxes; housing and renting; balanced budget amendment and sunsetting programs; and abortion, childcare, and transparency. I know this article is long, so readers can scroll down to find a particular item they might be interested in.

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