P.O. BOX 2, VENICE, CALIFORNIA 90294 • www.freevenice.org • Beachhead@freevenice.org • 396-0811 or 399-8685

February

2007#305

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CASUALTIES IN IRAQ

U.S. 3,085 Dead – 85 this monthU.S. Wounded 23,114 – 679 this month

Iraqi Dead: 655,000Source: antiwar.com, Lancet

Cost: $362+ Billion - Source: costofwar.com

Developers Against Bush?You know he’s in trouble when even developers turn against him. The sign is at 1214 Abbot Kinney Blvd. on a

building under construction that is described as high-end artist in residence luxury homes.Bush’s job approval rating hit an all-time low in a Jan. 31 Newsweek Poll at 30 percent. And 58 percent of all

those polled say they wish that Bush’s presidency was over.

The Mistake of the UnionBy Jim Smith

Last month I gleefully reported on GeorgeBush’s comeuppance at the hands of the“Adults,” the people, like James Baker, who real-ly rule this country (A Very American Coup - Jan.2007 Beachhead).

Well, never underestimate the chutzpah of aboy wonder like George W. Bush. Instead ofacquiescing in the face of such ruling class disap-proval, Bush has fought back, firing generals anddoubling down his wager on Iraq by throwing in20,000 more troops.

What reservoirs of support is Bush calling onto back up his bluff? Of course, there are the war-mongering neo-conservatives who continue toinfest his administration, and fundamentalistswho seem to be be counting the days untilArmageddon. Most other power centers inAmerica are aligned against the Boy King. Themedia, outside of Fox, has found new resolve.

Keith Olbermann on MSNBC has turned theviciousness of right-wingers around to focus onBush. The L.A. Times has dramatically increasedtheir coverage of Iraq, and on Jan. 28, ran anabove-the-fold photo of an anti-war march!

Our court-appointed President is able tocarry on because he has found a new ally - theDemocrats. Fresh from their stunning electionvictory in November, Democrats in Congresshave been distancing themselves from the reasonthey were elected - to end the war and occupa-tion. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid evenexpressed his support for the “troop surge” in

Iraq, before someone sat on him. Nancy Pelosi,Speaker of the House, did a good imitation of acheerleader at Bush’s State of the Union talk.

The State of the Union talk was the bestexample yet of the Democrats bankruptcy. Notonly did they fail to protest America’s numberone war criminal, but they rose from their seatsrepeatedly to applaud every semi-human gruntfrom the Supreme Leader. And what was upwith the-hope-of-the-left-Democrats, DennisKucinich, when he graspedboth of Bush’s hands inwarm embrace, on nationalTV, as the Fuhrer was leav-ing the hall.

Did any of the blood onthose hands rub off? Whatmessage could that sendthe anti-war public otherthan that Bush was notsuch a bad guy after all. OnJan. 26, anti-war activistand Gold Star Mother,Cindy Sheehan, spoke to asparse audience at theMethodist Church. I askedher about the Kucinich-Bush love fest. She said shewas shocked too, and hadimmediately text-messagedDennis for an explanation.There was no response fromKucinich, said Sheehan.

The shameful behavior of the suck-upDemocrats has been explained by some apolo-gists as merely following protocol and decorum.Say what? Don’t they teach about theNuremberg trials in the private schools thesemillionaires attended? Have none of themwatched Prime Minister’s Questions on CSPAN,in which Tony Blair is raked over the coals at

least once a week? Didn’t they hear about Bush’sspeech to the German Bundestag (parliament),where members held up anti-war signs, turnedtheir back on him, and did everything butapplaud. How do these apologists weigh the rel-ative merits of decorum with more than 3,000dead American soldiers?

Even though I abhor torture, I believe everymember of Congress should be forced to watch

the film “The Road toGuantanamo” until it finallysinks in that this country,with Bush in the lead, hascommitted horrible atrocitiesfor which all of us maysomeday have to pay theprice.

So what’s to become ofthe last hope of the naive, thenew Democratic majority?Can they muster enoughcourage to vote for a non-binding resolution againstthe troop escalation? Willthey actually vote to cut offfunding for the Iraq atrocity?Don’t count on it.

The proposed troopsurge has triggered a “peacesurge” around the country.On Jan. 27, hundreds of thou-sands surrounded theCapitol in a march and rally

sponsored by United For Peace and Justice(UFPJ). At the same time, more than 100 othercities, including Los Angeles, held rallies andmarches. The L.A. event, which drew 5,000marchers on a rainy day, was initiated by thepeople who hold weekly neighborhood peacevigils, including the one in Venice. UFPJ and oth-ers have wisely switched from just condemning

Troop Surge ignites Peace SurgeCindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq, hugsRon Kovic, former Venice resident who lost theuse of his legs in Vietnam. They participated inthe Jan. 27 anti-war march and rally in LosAngeles, one of 100 across the nation.

Photo by Marcus, L.A. IndyMedia

Big ChangesPlanned for Rose

and Lincoln CenterThe Beachhead was able to confirm a persist-

ent rumor that Whole Foods Markets will be tak-ing over the shopping center and opening a storeat Rose Ave. and Lincoln Blvd. A company offi-cial said the store would be 47,317 sq. ft. in anew building. An opening date has been set,optimistically, for Spring 2008.

The Texas-based chain is known for itshealthy, but upscale, food. It has denied beinganti-union, although it has aggressively foughtefforts by employees to unionize, including at itsstore on Barrington Avenue in West L.A.

The Center currently caters to “budget”shoppers at Big Lots and the 99¢ Store. WholeFoods hasn’t announced whether the buildingthat houses these stores, the CVS/Savon drugstore and a laundromat is to be demolished.

“We’re still working out all the detailsaround the space and what stays or goes,” saidMarci Frumkin, Marketing Director, SouthernPacific Region, Whole Foods Market.

INSIDE:2 - Voices from the Front3 - City pays grave rob-bers; Invasion of theHome Snatchers4 - Molly Ivins, RIP; TentCity5 - Neighborhood Council6 - Venetians in the Street;Torso; See Jane Run7 - Cacao8 - 30 Years Ago in Venice9 - Lotsa Poetry10 - Astrological Cookery11 - Calendar Returns12 - Peace Surge

The Need for RadicalismDear Beachhead,In 1970, I went to my first Peace & Freedom

Party meeting at the office in Venice, California.Looking back at the intervening years, I can seethat I always had good cause to be radical: largenumbers of people starving worldwide was rea-son enough.

Today, the problem of global warming con-stitutes even more of an impulse toward radical-ism. Large parts of Siberia are melting; glaciersare melting. The more optimistic predictionsabout climate change have proven incorrect.Gradualism won’t work, since the world doesnot have twenty years to drag people kickingand screaming, into a sustainable society. We areall in the same boat; even the well-fed are at risk.People should be wary of minor tinkering withthe system such as better fuel economy stan-dards for automobiles.

Fighting global warming requires a changeof lifestyle in the United States, Europe andJapan. China and India need to restrain their eco-nomic development aspirations, and they wouldexpect people in richer countries to also makesacrifices.

To try to win over people who don’t wish tomake do with less, we should offer them theprospect of more freedom, that is, some relieffrom the demands of capitalists, governmentsand customers. For example, organic farmersmight have a chance to be their own boss, and ifthey are growing food for themselves, theirfriends and their relatives (subsistence agricul-ture) they don’t need to worry about whatpotential buyers might think.

Milton Takei, Eugene, Oregon (The writer was a member of the Beachhead

Collective in the 1970s)

2 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

Richard AbcarianKarl AbramsEric AhlbergLinda AlbertanoHelen AllandElinor AurthurJennifer BaumC. V. BeckChuck BloomquistNancy Boyd WilliamsonLulu CarmonePhil Chamberlin, RIPSteve ClareStephen CohenMaureen CotterNancy CunninghamJohn DavisSteve EffingtonLisa EzellEd FerrerPeter R. ForceLarry FrankDon GeaganJohn GibsonJesse GlazerBridgett GonzalezMeredith GordonRobert GreenwaldJoseph GrossPamela GruberJeffrey Hirsch

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The collective staff of the

BEACHHEAD COLLECTIVE: Karl Abrams, Rex Butters, C.V. Beck, CarolFondiller, Don Geagan, Yolanda Miranda,Jim Smith, Erica Snowlake, Judith Martin-Straw, Alice Stek

The FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD ispublished monthly by the BeachheadCollective as a vehicle for the people ofVenice to communicate their ideas andopinions to the community at large.

The Beachhead encourages anyone tosubmit news stories, articles, letters, pho-tos, poetry or graphics of interest to theVenice community. The staff reserves theright to make all decisions collectively onmaterial published. There is no editor onthe Beachhead. The printing is financed byads and donations. The articles, poetry andart work express the opinions of the indi-vidual contributors and are not necessarilythe views of the Beachhead Collective.

To submit material, include your nameand telephone number. Anonymous materi-al will not be printed, but your name willbe withheld on request. If return of materi-al is desired, a stamped self-addressedenvelope is required. No payment is madefor material used.

Mail: P.O. Box 2, Venice, CA 90294. Web: <www.freevenice.org> Email: <Beachhead@freevenice.org>

Our Mission StatementOh Holy ShitThe Thought Police are rising

It is the Timefor the Beachhead’s rebirth

Now is the Time to get your thoughtstogether

If you care whetheryou have a thought of any worth.

Thoughts left of CenterHomeowner or Renter

Put your Head where your Pen* isSend it to us use your wits

and if we like itWe’ll print or plagiarize it

or tear it intoteeny tiny

bits– by the Slumgoddess

*Pen: Antique Term for WordProcessor or Computer

Beachhead Sustainers

Become a Beachhead Sustainer

John Haag, RIPTed HajjarMarjorie HindsJohn KertiszJoan KlotzLinda LaisureLarry LayneJay LevinLinda LucksDebra J. MillerMichael MillmanSusan MillmanAlessandra MontagnaTina MoreheadBarbara PalivosOlga PaloElena PoppBob NiemannSherman J. PearlLydia PoncéNancy Raffaeli RichardsJames SchleyLinda ShusettJim SmithMoe StavnezerAlice StekMike SuhdSuzanne ThompsonCarol WellsEmily Winters

What’s up with Venice Beach these days?If you are a cop, you spend a good couple of

your daily hours looking for an artist on theboardwalk to harass.

And then you get to spend a few more hoursdiscussing your violation of human rights with afew more carloads of cops while blocking busi-ness to all the other frustrated vendors. Howlucky you are when you come across an artistwho forget to bring their Lottery ID because thenyou get to handcuff and search them, you get todisregard their child, who is left frightened andabandoned on the sand and of course get to con-fiscate whatever you feel is evidence (this willoften include artwork, musical instruments andcrystals).

After that you get to move on to the drumcircle and harass the drummers and dancersthere. There’s half a day’s job done by over a halfdozen cops.

If someone comes to an artist’s defense thepolice often end up mentioning nonpayment oftaxes and lifestyle choices as the big problem inVenice.

Now who says working with your hands isnot a good lifestyle? And what about all the taxmoney going to these police for their training,equipment, uniforms, cars, helicopters, surveil-lance, etc... For what? So they can go aroundbeing partypoopers without a consciousness?

Now, how about the new police - the Parksand Reckless department, led by artist-haterMaria. She loves to single out and harass anyindigenous person in her path. She must besome descendant from Cortez or evokes his spir-it before she attempts to trample the rights of theworking craftsperson each day.

Voices from the Front (Ocean Front, that is)All joking aside (or not) the harassment on

the boardwalk continues as the unfair ordi-nance’s future lies pending on the desk of ajudge. The value of the handmade jewelryamongst these crafters is not a monetary one, buta personal and beautiful cultural exchange. Theboardwalk is being robbed of a unique experi-ence that you won’t find in any retail shop.

What’s so bothersome is that store-madeitems are still being sold on the boardwalk, butMaria and her squad are focused on a few

crafters ignoring the real law breakers. Leavethem alone!! They are being judged as offendersto the law but they are simply abiding to theircultural and god-given talents.

What a pity to witness such stagnation in aplace that had such vitality just prior to the pass-ing of this horrid ordinance. The artists need tounite as a cultural force protected by the spirit ofVenice and their first amendment right. Doesanyone remember our right for “pursuit of hap-piness.”

But seriously, all you artists who are just sit-ting back and complaining about Maria and thecops and your freedom being taken away. Whynot attend the Ocean Front Walk Committeemeetings (www.grvnc.org), stand up for yourrights, educated the people of the injustices thatoccur daily. Write email or call Bill Rosendahl’soffice at 311 - let your voices be heard!

And Venetians, when you witness harass-ment of a vendor stop the cops and tell themthat you don’t want your tax paying dollarsgoing to police brutality on art and cultural dev-astation.

– Shamama and Della

A Message from SwamiDear Beachhead,God, or O Wow, as far as we know is

Consciousness Existence Bliss_Absolutely Light,Life, Love, Forever, and lives within us as intelli-gence, will & love. Alarming to realize, millionsdon’t understand this. Big Business Religions,obviously, have not been fulfilling their spiritualobligation. Shame on them. Sending people tohell is no substitute for enlightening them; how-ever, it is good for a fast buck. Be that as it may, Iam convinced that God is Bliss, and we merge inthat Bliss & Perfection, inevitably & ineluctably,even if we are Harvey Krishmans.

Karma and reincarnation are obvious facts tothe enlightened mind, and tend to make lifemuch easier to understand. God being every-where, and in everything. I leave it to everyoneto figure it out for themselves. Of course, if youtake me to Las Vegas for the weekend, I’ll explainsome things to you.

It’s moving much faster now, & 2007 will bea whirlwind. Fasten your seat belts; get ground-ed, centered, connected and meditate like amother; keep your mind, heart & bowels open;love everyone, especially small children, butdon’t get caught; pray that your congressman&/or priest doesn’t get caught, pray that Jesusreturns before Buddha, even though Buddhaoriginally had a head start; pray that the retardsrunning television are struck by lightning,become enlightened & start dispensing relevantinformation, entertainment and inspiration; praythat when Jesus returns he will sit down andhave a fireside chat with George W. Bush, andvery firmly instruct him in the basic truths, reali-ty and compassion of Christianity

P.S. We must not forget that George W. Bushis a soul, just like the rest of us, and even thoughhe may have to do some time in the Lower AstralPlane, we must still love & pray for him, as wewill all, undoubtedly, someday be rejoicing inheaven over the grand adventure we all passedthru together.

Peace, Swami X

IInnvvaassiioonn ooff tthheeHHoommee SSnnaattcchheerrss

(A True Story of Horror)

By Glenn Taranto

I am the last tenant in my apartment com-plex. There’s no one else here… I miss thehuman interaction. There was laughter,singing… There had been children here once. Ithink there were children. I’m not sure anymore.I’ve lived here for fourteen years. My 80-year-old neighbor lived here for thirty. She’s gonenow. Not sure what happened to her. Thirteenunits… Empty now… Not sure what hap-pened to any of the others… They were hereone day and gone the next. Is anyone readingthis?

I am taking a moment from packing upmy belongings to make a last ditch effort to letwhatever human beings, still living in Venice,know an enemy has invaded our homeland.Can anyone hear me? I hope someone is read-ing this.

FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD • Feb. 2007 • 3

In BriefArnold Schwarzenegger is not very popular

with Venetians. We gave him only 26 percent ofthe vote in the gubernatorial election inNovember.

Apparently, the feeling is mutual. In a Jan. 26article in the L.A. Times (Bodybuilding governorfeels the unforgiving weight of time), Schwarzen-egger moved the location of the World Gym (inhis mind) from Venice to Santa Monica. Is it pos-sible that the now pudgy Guv forgot where hewas for all those years when he trained with JoeGold?

Arnold to Venice: “Never heard of it”

Arnoldwhenheworkedout inVenice

Arnoldin

2003

•••

More permits coming to the beachPermits for artists and craftspeople have

worked so well (not) on the Ocean Front Walkthat they are now coming to the Graffiti Walls,where they are likely to inflame another segmentof the beach community.

And the walls, at the site of the old Pavilion,will be getting a spiffy new name - the VenicePublic Art Walls or the Venice Art Walls forshort. Stash Maleski, curator of the walls, stated:“Painting on the walls will be by permit onlyand will only happen on weekends... Thischange has come about because of complaints byVenice area residents of increased vandalismattributed to the presence of the walls. In aneffort to keep the walls here, and in an effort towork with the community to reduce illegal van-dalism, the area will be governed by new rulesand regulations.”

“In order to obtain a permit to paint on thefour large walls, artists will have to have a sketchof what they plan to paint and have a crew of atleast three people,” said Maleski. “The last paint-ings to go up on Sunday afternoon will run allweek until the following Saturday. There will beno painting on the walls on weekdays.” Uh, sure.

•••

No more impersonal spying on your email and phone calls.

Now a neighbor can do it!Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) has been

named Chair of the Homeland SecurityCommittee’s Intelligence, Information Sharingand Terrorism Risk Assessment Subcommittee.The subcommittee has jurisdiction over domesticintelligence issues, information-sharing, threatand vulnerability assessments, and oversight ofthe Secret Service, among other issues.

“I’m delighted to be chairing a subcommitteethat is so vital to securing the homeland.” saidHarman.

•••

Rumor CentralThe rumor about a drug store opening at the

long-vacant Koo Koo Roo restaurant in theClown Building at Main and Rose is true. Long’sDrugs has opened a store there, reversing a longtrend for businesses that serve the residents to bereplaced by those catering to tourists.

Another rumor about Cafe 50s, on LincolnBlvd., losing their lease is not true, according tothe owner. But it wouldn’t hurt to give this com-munity oriented restaurant some more business.

•••

Got a tip, rumor, or hot news item? Send it to theBeachhead at Beachhead@freevenice.org or POBox 2, Venice 90294.

By Kathy Knight and Judith Davies

The Los Angeles City Council, on Jan. 16,unanimously approved the use of $11.4 mil-lion of Mello Roos Bonds to be used to reim-burse Playa Capital for destroying the largestNative American burial site in California.Playa Capital’s owners, wall street corpora-tions Morgan Stanleyand Goldman Sachs,had asked for thefunds because theyoriginally had allocat-ed $1.9 million forexcavating the site,but because of its sig-nificance and size (411bodies exhumed),they asked for another$11.4 million in pub-licly subsidized MelloRoos Bond funds tocover their cost-over-run.

Gabrielino TongvaNative Americans spoke at the Council hear-ing. Anthony Morales, Tribal Chairman andChief of the Gabrielino/Tongva San GabrielBand of Mission Indians, asked the CityCouncil to stop endorsing these atrocities. Hestated “this request from the developer forpayment is a shame and an ongoing attack onour culture! Instead of asking for compensa-tion, they should be talking to us about areburial. Our ancestors have been out of theground for several years and in storage. Thisaction is an injustice and genocidal. To payfor this atrocity would be a misuse of bondmonies. The City did nothing when one ofour last remaining intact cemeteries wasdestroyed and 411 of our ancestors were dese-crated which is a hate crime.”

Linda Gonzales (Gabrielino-Tongva/Yaqui) also asked the City Council to deny theuse of Mello Roos bonds. She stated thedevelopers of Playa Vista knew there was aburial site, and they chose to go ahead. Infact, Howard Hughes had uncovered bodieswhen he put his landing strip in. The publicshould not have to reimburse Playa Vistadevelopers for the destruction of the cemetery.She stated Mello Roos bonds are for commu-nity improvements such as street lights, notfor being reimbursed for grave digging.

Other speakers pointed out that the new

“riparian corridor,” which includes a ditch forstreet runoff, could have been left in its origi-nal place, thereby avoiding the burial site. Itwas moved to give Playa Vista developersmore land to build on.

Other points raised included GrassrootsCoalition statement that there is no approvedEIR for the development, since the Appellate

Court overturned itsapproval in relationto the gas mitigationsystem. Also thatthe bonds were notto be used for gasmitigation systems.

Kathy Knight,Board Member of theBallona EcosystemEducation Project,stated that theGabrielino-Tongva,have been living inthe Los Angeles areafor 10,000 years andtook good care of the

land, leaving a “paradise” for the rest of us toinherit. She objected to “thanking” them bypublicly subsidizing the destruction of theirburial sites.

Judith Davies said “This is a human rightsissue.” She pointed out that Tongva LeaderAnthony Morales, working closely with otherNative American representatives, succeededin recent months to have the California StateSenate pass a new law which would strength-en protections for Native American burials inCalifornia. This misuse of Mello-Roos Bondmonies, 11.4 million dollars, would set a verybad precedent and work to undermine suchprotections, giving developers monies thatwere designated for public projects such aslighting, street improvements, fire stations,and schools.

Council Member Bill Rosendahl, whosedistrict includes Venice and Playa Vista, askedMr. Morales to work with Playa Vista repre-sentative George Mihlsten to rebury the bod-ies at Playa Vista. However, Mr. Morales stat-ed that that provision was already somethingthat Playa Capital was required to do, andthat they should talk to Robert Dorame, thedesignated Most Likely Descendant.

Kathy Knight and Judith Davies are with theBallona Ecosystem Education Project.

City of L.A. compensates Playa Vista fordestroying Gabrielino-Tongva burial site

Playa Vista processing center for the removal of Gabrielino-Tongva bodies.

Don Geagan(Vets for Peace)says,Call your Congress-members and demand

they co-sponsor and vote for Rep. JimMcGovern’s Bill.End the War in Iraq Act (HR4232)• Prohibit funds to deploy Army to Iraq• Provides financial aid to Iraqi Forces• Provides for reconstruction of Iraq

–continued on page 10

4 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

Lincoln Place

TENT CITY REPORTBy C.V. Beck

Tent City is still on hiatus due to winter.... weintend to resume when it is warmer. In the mean-time, my focus will be on LINCOLN PLACE.

One of our neighbors, who lived at LincolnPlace for a very long time, has passed away.Charles (Chuck) Snow, husband of Sharon(Shapiro) Snow died on January 20th after alengthy illness. Chuck was born on October 1,1954.

The memorial service at Four Square Gospelin Venice, was held on January 28th. This verythoughtful service was well attended by oldfriends, family and residents of Lincoln Place.The eulogy was spoken beautifully by our coun-cilperson, Bill Rosendahl, who was accompaniedby Mark Antonio Grant, field deputy. SharonSnow read a poem about her life with her hus-band. His sister spoke and the pastor, StevenHurrell gave very sensitive and moving testimonycelebrating Chuck’s life. Charles has been cremat-ed and a beautifully engraved metal urn contain-ing his ashes was accompanied by a happy photo-graph of Chuck barbequing for a family gatheringduring happier times.at the front of the church.His large, well-worn white Bible was on a table atthe entrance of the church along with the guest-book. Refreshments were served afterwards in thepatio.

We will miss Chuck’s “aggressive evangeli-cal” energy in our struggle to preserve LincolnPlace as a vitally necessary source of truly afford-able housing.

We were waiting for a Malibu court date formid-January in the Ellis Act matter which weremaining residents of Lincoln Place, all seniorsand disabled persons, believe to be not legal. .This is now continued forward to a date in lateMarch, April or perhaps, even May. More hurryup and wait, hurry up and wait. The attempt atforced relocations of Venetian citizens has beengoing on for almost 20 years and we are used toit, unfortunately. However, our quality of life isnot what it used to be, is it? What’s up next onthe landlord’s agenda for this punishment ofinnocent citizens of a small beach town?

One of our supportive property-owningneighbors, has pointed out to me that even only 5acres of open space replaces X thousand tons ofnumbers of air conditioning units...seems likeopen space is a clear winner in this chat and thisshould be a no-brainer, ‘cept maybe on the west-side of Los Angeles in Southern California.

Meanwhile, we can sit and think about ourfates or strategize further. It is my feeling thatthis is cruel and unusual punishment for sen-iors/disabled and people on the lower end of theeconomic strata and an outrageous violation ofthe public trust. While these overly/well/paidcity council persons (not referring to Bill) sitaround, stalling and ruining our beloved city bytheir greediness, people’s lives are being irrepara-bly changed for the worse. It is my opinion thatour public servants are really working for thedevelopers and are in thrall to them, hoping toget home free with all the benefits and perks,clean as a hound’s tooth while we pay the pricefor their lack of engagement with reality. Not nice,not nice at all.

The other day, I overheard from a worker atthe 99 Cent Store, that “LAX is buying my apart-ment”...naturally, I inquired how much was beingoffered and she replied, “twenty-five thousanddollars “and seemed to think that was a lot ofmoney.

On January 31, I attended the first of whatwill be an on-going series of meetings at WCIL(Westside Center for Independent Living). Thepurpose of these meetings are to identify mainconcerns for disabled persons now. Topics intro-duced by the facilitator, Fidel Valenzuela, and tobe discussed in depth include (1) Housing (2)Transportation (3) Health/Wellness and (4)Assistive Technology. These meetings will beheld at the Center (located at the corner ofBeethoven Street and Venice Boulevard) and willbe announced well in advance. There were peo-ple from Venice as well as other areas of the west-ern edge present at this first meeting, a good sign.

Molly Ivins began writing hersyndicated column for CreatorsSyndicate in 1992. AnthonyZurcher is a Creators SyndicateEditor in Austin, Texas, and hehas been Molly’s editor and friendfor many years.

By Anthony Zurcher

Goodbye, Molly I.

Molly Ivins is gone, andher words will never gracethese pages again -- for this,we will mourn. But Mollywasn’t the type of woman who would wantus to grieve. More likely, she’d say some-thing like, “Hang in there, keep fightin’ forfreedom, raise more hell, and don’t forget tolaugh, too.”

If there was one thing Molly wanted usto understand, it’s that the world of politicsis absurd. Since we can’t cry, we might aswell laugh. And in case we ever forgot,Molly would remind us, several times aweek, in her own unique style.

Shortly after becoming editor of MollyIvins’ syndicated column, I learned one ofmy most important jobs was to tell hernewspaper clients that, yes, Molly meant towrite it that way. We called her linguisticpeculiarities “Molly-isms.” Administrationofficials were “Bushies,” government was infact spelled “guvment,” business was “bid-ness.” And if someone was “madder than apeach orchard boar,” well, he was quite madindeed.

Of course, having grown up in Texas, allof this made sense to me. But to newspapereditors in Seattle, Chicago, Detroit andbeyond -- Yankee land, as Molly would say -- her folksy language could be a mystery.“That’s just Molly being Molly,” I wouldexplain and leave it at that.

But there was more to Molly Ivins thaninsightful political commentary packaged inan aw-shucks Southern charm. In the com-ing days, much will be made of Molly’s con-tributions to the liberal cause, how impor-tant she was as an authentic female voice onopinion pages across the country, her pas-sionate and eloquent defense of the poorestand the weakest among us against the cor-ruption of the most powerful, and the joyshe took in celebrating the uniqueness ofAmerican culture -- and all of this is true.But more than that, Molly Ivins was awoman who loved and cared deeply for theworld around her.

And her warm and generous spirit wasapparent in all her words and deeds.

Molly’s work was truly her passion. Shewould regularly turn down lucrative speak-ing engagements to give rally-the-troops

speeches at liberalism’s loneli-est outposts. And when shedid rub elbows with the high-falutin’ well-to-do, theencounter would invariablyend up as comedic grist infuture columns.

For a woman who made aprofession of offering her opin-ion to others, Molly wasremarkably humble. She wasknown for hosting unforget-table parties at her Austinhome, which would feature

rollicking political discussions, andimpromptu poetry recitals and satiricalsongs. At one such event, I noticed her din-ing table was littered with various awardsand distinguished speaker plaques, put touse as trivets for steaming plates of tamales,chili and fajita meat. When I called this toher attention, Molly matter-of-factly replied,“Well, what else am I going to do with‘em?”

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect ofMolly’s life is the love she engendered fromher legions of fans. If Molly missed a col-umn for any reason, her newspapers wouldhear about it the next day. As word ofMolly’s illness spread, the letters, cards, e-mails and gifts poured in.

Even as Molly fought her last battlewith cancer, she continued to make publicappearances. When she was too weak towrite, she dictated her final two columns.Although her body was failing, she still hadso much to say. Last fall, before an audienceat the University of Texas, her voice beganas barely a whisper. But as she went on, shedrew strength from the standing-room-onlycrowd until, at the end of the hour, she wasforcefully imploring the students to getinvolved and make a difference. As Mollyonce wrote, “Politics is not a picture on awall or a television sitcom that you candecide you don’t much care for.”

For me, Molly’s greatest words of wis-dom came with three children’s books shegave my son when he was born. In herinimitable way, she captured the spirit ofeach in one-sentence inscriptions. In “Alicein Wonderland,” she offered, “Here’s to siximpossible things before breakfast.” For“The Wind in the Willows,” it was, “Mayyou have Toad’s zest for life.” And in “TheLittle Prince,” she wrote, “May your heartalways see clearly.”

Like the Little Prince, Molly Ivins hasleft us for a journey of her own. But whileshe was here, her heart never failed to seeclear and true -- and for that, we can all begrateful.

A Friend Remembers Molly Ivins

Response to Book Reviewof Raising Mama inJanuary Beachhead

Dear Beachhead Folks,Judith Martin-Straw, and the rest of the

Beachheaders rock! Kathy and I will be in LA inearly June. Megan, our granddaughter, is gradu-ating Sammo High.

The Tri-State Defender, the African-Americanweekly in Memphis, is doing a feature onRaising Mama for Black History Month.Beachheader Makes Good! Film at 11!

Larry Sullivan, aka memphis slim

Occupation Can’t Be Won

Dear Beachhead,“There’s a Difference Between a War and an

Occupation” - We found this out in Viet Nam in1975, and Israel is finding it out today in theMiddle East.

You can “win” a war, but you cannot “win”an occupation in an age of cell phones, laptops,and sophisticated small arms and explosives. We“won” the war in Iraq when we took Baghdad,but we will never “win” the occupation of Iraqor Afghanistan.

The “War on Terror” can only be fought suc-cessfully by a strong homeland defense and anendless series of individual “strikes” againstselected terrorist strongholds.

Let’s not continue to use 20th century battletactics in this 21st century “war.”

Frank Loweree, Pacific Palisades

FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD • Feb. 2007 • 5By Jim Smith

I got to the hearing at Mark Twain MiddleSchool early on the evening of Jan. 11 in hopes ofgetting a good seat. As it turned out theNeighborhood Council Review Commissionplayed to a mostly empty house, even though itwas the only westside hearing that will be heldby the Commission. Absentees included everyelected Board member of the VeniceNeighborhood Council, and 90 percent of thosewho used to flock to itsmeetings and electionsduring the past fewyears.

The Commissionincludes an appointeefrom every L.A. CityCouncilmember andassorted dignitariesincluding PoliticalScientist and frequent“media expert” RaphaelSonenshein. Also known as the 912 Commission,for Section 912 of the City Charter, it is mandatedto evaluate the neighborhood council system andmake recommendations.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Withunrest mounting in L.A.’s “captive cities,”including San Pedro, Wilmington, Hollywood,Westchester and Venice, and the entire SanFernando Valley, something had to be done to, atleast, create the illusion of a democratic city. Thatsomething turned out to be neighborhood coun-cils. These councils would carve the city up into86 bit-sized portions, but would not exert realpower, nor be an official part of city government.

The scheme worked, along with millions ofdollars from developers and corporations thatwas pumped into anti-secession campaigns inthe Valley and Hollywood in 2002. While amajority in the Valley actually voted to secede,the law required that it win throughout LosAngeles before it could be set free.

With the secession option failing, thousandsturned to neighborhood councils in the beliefthey would be better than nothing. In Venice,both new arrivals and long-time residents gotinvolved in creating the Grass Roots VeniceNeighborhood Council. Everything wentsmoothly until the bylaws discussion got aroundto election policy. A proposal to include InstantRunoff Voting (IRV) in the bylaws passed with abig majority. But less than a month later actingPresident Tisha Bedrosian called a meeting toreconsider the vote. Apparently, a mobilizationhad taken place to get people out to vote againstIRV. It was repealed by one vote.

Many supporters of election reform, includ-ing IRV, felt blindsided by the maneuver. At thispoint, the Council participants split into twocamps - Progressives, and supporters ofBedrosian, variously called “Grvnics” (groovnics)and “Team Venice.” Other issues quickly sur-faced, including attitudes toward the homeless,affordable housing, the Ocean Front Walk andgentrification.

Fuel was added to this expanding fire byGreg Nelson, the general manager of the city’sDept. of Neighborhood Empowerment, whoseemed more interested in disempowering theVenice council. The major point of conflict

seemed to be at election time, with neither sidefeeling that the election had been fair, especiallywhen the other side won.

This tended to produce more animosity andname calling and resulted in both elected officersand other interested Venetians dropping out ofthe process. Others stopped participating whenthey realized that the neighborhood council hadno power, and was likely to be ignored by cityofficials.

With this background, I presented the fol-

lowing to the Review Commission:

The City should make NeighborhoodCouncils more democratic and begin devo-lution of powers

Summary: Neighborhood Councils are nei-ther fish nor fowl. They should be integratedinto the city government structure and elec-tion code. Once deficiencies of fairness anddemocracy are addressed, the city shouldamend the charter to begin devolving powersfrom the city council and administration tothe neighborhood councils.

Neighborhood Councils work better whenthe council’s jurisdiction is homogeneous.They work less well when there are sharpeconomic, racial or tenancy divisions. Inareas, such as Venice, which is undergoinggentrification, the NC, as currently struc-tured, becomes a battleground for competinginterests.Proposals for Reform of the NeighborhoodCouncil System

1. Allow only residents within each neigh-borhood council to vote. The current rulesallow absentee property owners, workers andnon-resident participants in local organiza-tions to vote. A person who owns multiplepieces of property in a number of neighbor-hood councils can vote - and hold office - inall of them. This violates the principle of oneperson - one vote.

2. Election reform:

a. Integrate neighborhood council electionsinto the city and state election code andprocedures. Hold council elections everytwo years under the control of theRegistrar of Voters.b. Alternatively, develop standardized city-wide election rules and procedures thatapply to all NCs. Allow no NC electionrules and procedures that are more restric-tive than city, state or federal election rules.c. In neighborhood council elections, abideby the city’s campaign finance reportingrules, with strict regulations on campaign

contributions by individuals and corpora-tions.

3. Provide information about who is repre-senting our community. All candidates forNeighborhood Council Board positions andall appointees to a Land Use and PlanningCommittee should be required to file aStatement of Economic Interests with the City

Ethics Commission, priorto their election or

appointment. Form700 which itemizesinvestments andinterest in real prop-erty held by the can-didate on the date ofdeclaration of candi-dacy or appointment,and sources of

income received duringthe 12 months prior to the date of filingshould be required.

4. Structure - Allow neighborhood councils touse a Town Hall format, which is probablythe most democratic structure possible. (Inthis structure, every member of the communi-ty is allowed to participate and make deci-sions, instead of leaving it to a small board ofofficers.)

Devolution

In addition to real or perceived problems offairness, many residents will not participatein NCs because of their lack of real authority.A devolution, or transfer, of authority oncommunity issues can make democracy areality. Area wide issues can still be addressedby the City Council and Mayor. Still broaderissues, such as transportation, can be copedwith by the creation of a county or regionalmayor and representative structure. LosAngeles can benefit by studying the reformsachieved by Greater London, in which com-munities have taken on city-like powers, andwork in tandem with a regional mayor andcouncil.

•••In all likelihood, the Commission will not

rock the boat. Instead, it will deliver a report tothe City Council that the neighborhood councilsystem is basically sound and only needs sometweaking. Everyone will be congratulated for ajob well done, and the councils will be allowed todie a peaceful death during the next few years.

Venetians, who are concerned with rapid,and unwanted, changes to their communityshould consider how they want to have a voicein modifying or rejecting those changes. Thereare at least two alternatives. They can getinvolved in the Venice Neighborhood Counciland turn it into an effective voice for Veniceregardless of what happens to the rest of the city.

Or they can form an independent body likethe old Venice Town Council, which although itdidn’t have any official standing, was muchmore effective than the VNC has been the lastcouple of years.

The Neighborhood CouncilReview CommissionComes to Venice

Monday - Friday 9 am - 7 pm Saturday 10 am - 7 pm • Sunday noon - 6 pm 1800A Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

310-305-9800 Additional Parking after 5 pm

and all day Saturday & Sunday behind the store.

“Your Local Shop for ScrumptiousFood and Sinful Chocolates”Venetian in “Fallujah”

Dear Beachhead,I opened in “FALLUJAH” last week end. I

have a wonderful role of a photo-journalist. It’sa murder mystery with a lot of well researchedinfo about the war laced throughout. The LAWeekly says “Robins gives a sassy but sensitiveportrayal of a rogue journalist”

Hope you can make it!FALLUJAH - Thursday, Friday, Saturday

nights at 8pm, at the Lex Theatre, 6760 LexingtonAve., Hollywood (one block north of SantaMonica Blvd. one block east of Highland) Thereis street parking but no late seating.

The play is written by Colin McKay anddirected by David Scott. Tickets are $15 and it’srunning till March 3rd. Call 323-960-7822 oronline at www.plays411.com/fallujah

Belated Happy New Year...

Best! Lisa Robbins

Homeless Services Topicof Town Hall Meeting

Bill Rosendahl, L.A. City Councilmem-ber will chair a Venice Town Hall meetingabout St. Joseph’s Center opening a home-less services storefront at 404 Lincoln Blvd.(at Flower Ave.).

The Town Hall will be at 7pm Tuesday,Feb. 6, at the Penmar Penmar RecreationCenter, 1341 Lake Street.

St. Joseph’s had provided homeless serv-ices for many years at 4th and Rose Avenue,until the owner sold the building after beingpressured by the Rose Avenue WorkingGroup, an anti-homeless organization.

Although St. Joseph’s has operated athrift store at the Lincoln Blvd. site, opposi-tion to providing homeless services hasemerged. The meeting is likely to attractmany residents with both pro and con views.

6 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

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Venetians in the Streetsound off on Iraq

I’m completelyagainst it. I don’tknow what we’refighting for. Hetalks about victory,I don’t know whatvictory representswhen it’s a war ofideology. I’m com-pletely against it.I’m appalled by thethought of moreyoung Americanmen and womenlosing their lives inthat situation.

We just had the elec-tions, and we had bigchanges in bothCongress and theSenate. The main pointthat the people weretrying to get acrosswas that we’re uncom-fortable with the situa-tion in Iraq. We want-ed a shift in policy. So,sending more troops toIraq, I think, is Bush’spersonal agenda to say,“I’m still in power andI don’t care about whatpeople have said aboutwhat’s going on.” Itwasn’t working before,I don’t think anincrease in 20,000troops is going to helpanything.

It’s silly, it’svery silly. It’slike he’s out ofhis mind, andpeople believ-ing it’s going tobe better, theyare wrong.They are totallywrong. What heis doing now isthe worst thinghe can do.

First Lookat the Torso

The proposed statue to be erected in theVenice Circle has aroused passions in Venice forseveral years, sight unseen.

Now it can be seen at 4 Yawl Street, at theend of the Peninsula.

Opposition to the torso by Robert Graham,who is building a new studio in the WindwardAvenue Historic District, has centered on twoobjections.

Many Venetians were opposed to the depic-tion of a headless, armless, legless, nakedwoman which reminded them of hideous crimesagainst women. Others objected to the lack ofcommunity dialogue and notification before thestatue was approved by the city of Los Angeles.

Whether the statue will still be installed inthe Circle at Main and Windward, or will find apermanent home on Yawl Street is unknown.

This month’s question from the Beachhead’s Rex Butters:What do you think of the proposed “Troop Surge” for Iraq?

Maury Ruano Glen Ashley

Personally, I feel wehave far moreimportant issues outhere in the UnitedStates, where weneed more peopleout here to deal withthe internal affairs,than going into Iraqto deal with theissues of anothercountry.

Magali Gajan Anthony Williams

I’m againstthat. There’stoo many peo-ple dying overthere, youngkids losingtheir lives. Idon’t go forthat.

It’s outrageous, it’seven more outrageous.Al Gore was absolute-ly right. I teach col-lege students. All ofthem are completelyimmune from this.They have no sensethat this is their future.The wealthy, affluent,and middle class col-lege-bound Americankids are immune fromthis. What this meansis, the wealthy politi-cians in Washingtonsending off poor andworking class kids togo get killed or gettheir heads screwed upfor the rest of theirlives.

Wally Ball Sharon Hays

See Jane RunAfter several months and hundreds of

requests, CodePink was again denied a meetingwith their westside Congressional representative.In hopes of finally securing a meeting withCongressmember Jane Harman, hundreds ofCodePink activities have set up a “bike-pathblock” (AKA: roadblock).

Oh, wait, news flash. Homeland Securityofficers “protecting and serving” their newChair of Homeland Security Committee’sIntelligence, Information Sharing and TerrorismRisk Assessment SubcommitteeCongressmember Jane Harman, have arrestedthe CodePink activists.

– Betty Bullhorn

High Officials Caught in the ActJane Harman and Bush’s Secretary of the Departmentof Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, break the lawon “Bikes Only” path.

Phot

o by

Eri

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hlbe

rg

FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD • Feb. 2007 • 7

as many anti-oxidants as red wine, and sixtimes the total of green tea.

4) Anandamide: the Bliss Chemical! aMysterious Ambrosia secreted by ourbindis when we’re feeling compassion for

all Sentient Beings, the kindof Guru Bliss we’ve all gotshining inside our floweringKundalinis.5) Tryptophan: hmmmm,relaxing, an internal oozingmassage......

So our sensuous Punanypoetess seeks a raw cacaotreat, but it’s hard to find, soshe settles on some choco-late imitation. What hap-pens next is raging night-mare; the white sugar, badfats combo in most commer-cial chocolate cause an over-production of insulin, which

not only exacerbates her PMS, but induces candi-da and diabetes in everyone from habitual use.Punanys Beware! chocolate as an addiction isthus born.

In contrast, the sugars used in raw cacaotreats are organic; agave nectar, raw honey, yaconroot syrup, maple sugar, date paste. Raw choco-latiers also add superfoods such as maca, blue-green algae, spirulina, chlorella, and bee pollen,(the world’s most complete food). Ask cacaowhat it’s favorite allies are and it will reply KolaNut, Chillies, Cinnamon, Maize, Vanilla, andGANJA! Cacao becomes a potent medicine unit-ed with it’s allies, a veritable Elixir of HealingLove.

Support the Cacao Revolution! Lovers Leadthe Way! Seek your source of cacao from fairtrade collectives in countries along the 20degrees north and south tropical equatorial zone,the top producers being the Ivory Coast, Ghana,Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Ecuador,Dominican Republic, New Guinea, andMalaysia. Locally, raw food restaurants are morethan happy to initiate us, blending cacao intosmoothies, shakes, brownies, fudge, andoraweo puddings. You are wholeheartedlyinvited to Leaf Cuisine’s Valentine’s Party at 9pm on Feb.14th, 11938 W. Washington Blvd,Culver City. Chocolate Confectioners will be onhand to indulge your raw cacao dreams, andsupply free samples! (www.leafcuisine.com)

The book Naked Chocolate, by DavidWolfe and Shazzi, is the most current and com-prehensive download of cacao lore, “allowingone to find the perfect alchemical potion caus-ing all heaven to break loose!” Mouth-wateringrecipes abound. David’s company, Nature’sFirst Law Inc./SunfoodNutrition in El Cajon has anonline dispensary featuring afine selection of organic, rawcacao nibs, powders, butters,and oils.

Locally visit Santa Monica’sELF,www.essentialivingfood.com forhigh vibrational supplies aswell.

In the Valentine Spirit ofSweet Firey Passion, enjoy this

shawoman lovenectar/ concoc-tion communallywith belovedones, channelledby JadeGoddess!

Chilcacahuatl -Ancient Alchemyof Cacao

Smile fromyour heart and

bring 2 liters of Blessed water orNut milk to a near boil thenremove from flame.

By Erica Snowlake

Americans have an unfortunate history ofbeing kept in the Dark - though in one uniquearena we have intentionally been kept out of theDark for way too long. WhichDark Realm are we ForbiddenNow and how do we break-through to join in it’s healingand beneficial revolution?

We are all eternallyblessed to enter into commun-ion with the Highest Bliss-inducing Portal on ourMothership Earth throughingestion of one of Her MostSupreme Offerings. Hint:Valentine’s Day Gifts!!! HeartShaped Box. Surrender yeunto the Anandamide spell ofRaw Dark Chocolate,Theobroma Cacao, Food of theGods and Goddesses. Live long and prosper,heal and soothe your heart, increase sensuality inyour loveflesh, double joy and beauty, nourishyour intellect, laxative your innard karma.

Chocolate and Humanity go way backtogether, swinging gleefully from jungle trees,early primitivos discovered cacao fruit berriesfertilized by gnats hanging as papaya-like bean-pod grasping devices! Broken open and crushedala stone mortar and pestle, cacao (ka-kow,rhymes with cow) shamans have been fortifyingthe tribes forever by unleashing unlimited high-energy potentials, i.e. faster and furiouser swing-ing in trees, and probably, the first epic arboreallovemaking. Cacao’s powerful aphrodisiac andappetite-inhibiting qualities granted our luckyancestors total liberation to Love All Day Long!

Synchronizing with the Mayan and Azteccalendar/cultures, who so revered Cacahuatl,Bitter Water, ceremonially as thee ReligiousSacrement and Currency of the Realm, we arenow entering a new appreciation and awarenessof what chocolate isreally about, andhow our symbiotic/synergistic relation-ship has evolved.Take a good look atwhat passes forchocolate today inthe U.S. - it’s a joke,hershey’s kisses, m’nm’s, nestles cocoa,milk chocolate? thechocolatiers of Europe have been laughing at usfor decades, their exquisite recipes basicallyshunned, import-banned and registered illegalby the multi-corp sugar death and transfats/cholesterol/heart attack cartels for the gen-eral american public. we are in major denial, anation in chocolate guilt, why? cause somethingso good has been co-opted by demons.

Let’s explore a woman’s cravings for choco-late around her moontime. She knows intuitivelysome of the more than 300 compounds found inraw cacao paste, making it one of the most chem-ically complex foods on earth, will set her justright hormonally. Here’s the breakdown of whatshe’s really desiring:

1) Magnesium: cacao contains the #1 source ofmagnesium of all foods.Magnesium balancesbrain chemistry, buildsbones, brings happiness,and, coincidentally, is themost deficient mineral inover 80% of our popula-tion.

2) Phenylethlamine: anadrenal-healing relatedchemical created in thebrain and naturallyreleased when we are inLove. PEA increasesfocus and alertness by pumping serotoninlevels, a.k.a. Nature’s Prozac.

3) Anti-oxidants: raw cacao has been dubbedthe “new red wine”, containing four times

Elements:2 oz of cacao butter,8 tbsp of cacao powder,freshly ground is of the highest vibration:1 cinnamon stick ( approx 1 tsp of groundcinnamon),1/2 of a kola nut ( approx 2 tbsp of groundkola nut),1/4 of a nutmeg (approx 1/2 tsp of groundnutmeg),1 dried red chile ( approx 1 tsp groundcayenne),1/4 of a vanilla bean (approx 2 tbsp vanillaextract),1/2 tbsp of Maca rootand a pinch of Himalayan sea salt

Blend elements into a paste and stir intowarm water, sweeten to taste with Agave,Maple or Raw Honey

Kiss between sips! XOXOXOXOXOXOX

P.S. we doubt there ever was a St. Valentine.More likely, some Pope Gelasius I in 496 decidedto co-opt/nullify the wild pagan festivalLupercalia, in which women were flagellated bywolfmen wielding thongwhipskins of goats anddogs to induce fertility and divine spring joy!The word February comes from the root wordfor fever, obviously we the people have alwayspossessed a passion for purification.

CHOCOLATE=CACAO: The Revolution Will Be Eaten

This is a Kirlian Pictureof a Cacao Bean.

Quetzalcoatl brings good-ness to the New World.

8 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

EEvviiccttiioonnDDeeffeennsseeNNeettwwoorrkk

Providing low cost legalassistance to tenants.

1930 Wilshire Blvd. #208Los Angeles 90057213/385-8112

HHoouurrss::M-F 9AM to 6PM (no appointment needed, first come, first served)

Saturday 10AM to 3PM

The Eviction Defense Network is a non-profit, community-based organizationproviding access to justice to low andmoderate income tenants.

30 Y

ears

Ago

in

Ven

ice

– fr

om t

he

Bea

chh

ead

Arc

hiv

es

from the Free Venice Beachhead, #86, February 1977

FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD • Feb. 2007 • 9

Po

et

ry

Walking the boardwalk

by Leah RoseI see a beautiful Sunrise & sunset

I also see

A dream dying

A shell ofA man crying

A lost soul

Once lovedBy someone

Who Cared

In such agonyAnd pain

Drowning inHis own despair

And misery

Cops blowLike the wind

They come& go

Harassing theHomeless

Seen by allNo one cares

A jumping here

An overdose there

A stabbing here

Do the copsReally care

Or is it just aGame to them

Tear drops fromA child’s eye

Like rain gentlyTo the ground

At the sight They see

A man Knock’s onDeaths door

Waiting to dieDay by day

In a back alleySomewhere

From theTorture of

This life & His own

Agony &Suffering

People pass Him bye

And step overHis lifeless body

And spit onHis grave

Like he isNot even there

The boardwalkClaims victims

Yet we allAre blind to

What happens

Every dayAs they are

People likeYou & me

CIRCLES(from the BeachheadArchives, Feb. 1977)

BY Jerry Harrison

Wantto

InformYouThatYour

MonthlyRent

IsBeing

IncreasedBy 10.As of1/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/110/111/112/119666768697071727374757677

And the 1st of eachmonth

Every yearThere - after.

DOGSTARBy Hal Bogotch

Accordion emotionssqueeze in and stretch out

a barrel roll of dolphin power

flexible Edisonstrives to reinventthe spiral galaxy

out far beyondInverness lighthouse

cosmic golf balls collide

glittering white teetha light-year smile

majestic cuneiform asterism

parallel lily pads lie witness to sticky tongues

shot out to snag

unseen grasshoppersskip by bellhop

sign hotel ledger

TV remote bolted to end table

flip familiar digital signals

disingenuous polka partywholly lonely planet

hold up clump of daisies

straight to the horses mouth.

listening to a recordingthe dark poets voicereading stu perkoffs

riff for the ladylightened, him up for me

he was a dark blurin my memory

outside the Venice westin the breezeway

talking storyhe never had a face

I never heard his voicehe was Jimmy’s frienda poet in a dark place

from a dark citygave me dark thoughts

opening a vilespilling poisoninto his veins

spreading to his penblack on white

bare bones of a citywhose people

never look you in the eyeand stab you in the back

anyway

– shannaart is love is god

Violence Just Ain’t Right

When violence becomes real,People know how to change

When it hits your family,It causes too much pain

Bush needs to stop lyinSo mom and pops can stop cryin

For all the soldiers dyinDick Cheney shouldn’t hold a gun

Trouble everywhere creates fearNervous anxious sadness

This tension isn’t fun

Violence just ain’ rightViolence just ain’t rightViolence just ain’t right

And bein in a gang ain’t tight

When violence becomes realPeople know how to change

When it its your familyIt causes too much pain

Look, bein in a gang ain’t tightWhen you get shot yo mom go cry every night

Then all the gangs at school gonna fightAnd then the police gonna think it’s black on

whiteAnd parents, don’t let your kids play those

gamesThey teach you how to fight, and be in gangs

Violence just ain’t rightViolence just ain’t rightViolence just ain’t right

And bein in a gang ain’t tight

– Written by the kids of theNeighborhood Arts Project of Inside/Out

Untitled

The new cancer slowly exposes itself to me.Skeletal fragments,enough to affiliate it form.Light is only complimented by darkness.Sanity by madness.I am the sunlight on your face right now.And when you touch the bottom.I surround you.

–D.T. Jenkins

BUSHMANDIAS

I met a traveller from the ancient Iraq landWho said:—Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert near Baghdad, in the sand,Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frownAnd beady eyes and sneer of cold commandTell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed.And on the pedestal these words appear:“My name is George W. Bush, leader of the free world:Look on my wars, ye peace-loving people, and despair!”Nothing beside remains: round the decayOf that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,The lone and level sands stretch far away.

– by Percy Bysshe Shelley (with a little tweaking by JimSmith)

FLOWER GIRL

July the 10th...

She follows shadows in empty rooms,Alone now,Gliding her hands across the cold satin bedsheet,Where he slept,Between love and pain--and the Darkness.

Dressed in a wedding gown of midnight lace,the ceremony is complete,She was his girl,Innocent red-haired waif wearing flowers,A sacrifice to the dangerous poet.

Her happiness was the roadmusic, whiskey, parties,Scars and needlemarksa grisly diary recorded on thin freckled arms,Today demands another entry.

She trembles like a caged bird,Vulnerable in black,Groping through a fog of memories for instant bliss,Her fate is sealed,Another fix for the rock’n’roll widow.

To kill the loneliness forever on July the 10th...

--Lynette

A New York Poem

By Hillary Kaye

I say, “ How have you been?”and you tell me, what you’vebeen,and to whom.

The Free Venice Beachhead – Venice’smost read newspaper – in every dimen-sion!

Art by Eric Ahlberg

10 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

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CCooookkeerryyBByy JJuuddiitthh MMaarrttiinn SSttrraaww

Mistake of the Union –continued from page one

Bush to also pressuring Democrats to cut offfunding for the war. The new Congressionalmajority will quickly have to decide whether toside with their constituents who overwhelmingwant out of Iraq, or to prove once again they arenot trustworthy in stopping the war machine.

Meanwhile, the Bush counter-offensive maywell include the worst crime of his career -attacking Iran. As George Galloway said in theBritish Parliament the other day, his country’stroops likely will be the first victims of such aninane attack. “Think of the movie Zulu, exceptwithout the happy ending,” Galloway said(watch it on YouTube.com). The second victimwould be the American soldiers and sailors whoare sitting ducks in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

Even if we avoid this nightmare scenario,Bush is still guilty of blunders and errors ofjudgement approaching those of Hitler’s whenhe invaded the Soviet Union. The Middle Easttoday is a hornet’s nest. The peace processbetween Israel and Palestine has been derailed,the crusader state of Lebanon has been put intoplay, Iraqis were denied the pleasure of over-throwing their tyrant because of foreign inter-vention and are now focused on killing eachother, Iran has become a defiant state undersiege, Afghanistan’s secular and progressivegovernment was overthrown with billions ofdollars in aid to the Bin Laden crowd (most ofthis was the fault of Bush’s political “father”Ronald Reagan), and Pakistan is armed to theteeth with nuclear weapons and is providingmilitary training to the Taliban.

Let’s all give the President a big round ofapplause!

GGeenneerraall FFoorreeccaasstt ffoorr FFeebbrruuaarryy 22000077By Judith Martin StrawFebruary has two kinds of ‘new year” celebrations-Chinese new Year on the 17th ushers in the year ofthe pig, a time of feasting and merriment. And Feb2nd, which most of us know as Groundhog Day, isalso the ancient Irish holiday of Bridgit, the daywhen winter’s slumber ends, and the first awakeningof Spring begins. We can see that there is cause forwaking up and feeling good. If you want the best ofFeb for So Cal, your job is to hope for a wet one. It’salready been a dry winter, and we often get a lot ofrain in February - now is the moment to be mindfuland thankful of the water we have, and ask for moreto fall. It’s going to be a very generous month-let’s begood to each other.

AArriieess - Some kind of giveaway is hoping to givesomething to you. Might be the perfect time to enter acontest, or buy a raffle ticket. And when you’re poisedto get, it’s always good to give- make a donation, cleana closet, volunteer. The universe loves balance.TTaauurruuss - Are you doing something that is not inyour own best interests? What’s happening on yourprivate agenda that does not square with the longterm goal? Ask yourself and then revise the plan. Youneed to be on your side all the time, not just some ofthe time.GGeemmiinnii - Partnership is your specialty, and this is agreat time for investing more effort and energy in it.You and your lover, spouse, business partner or work-out buddy have some really great stuff coming yourway.CCaanncceerr - Major housecleaning, or is it really justtime to move? There’s no harm in just pretendingyou’re moving and getting rid of all that excess stuffwhile you are waiting to find out what’s going on. Ifyou aren’t willing to take it with you, then you don’tneed it now.LLeeoo - It’s time to remind yourself that the flesh isnot the enemy of the spirit- it is the vehicle that getsthe spirit from here to there. Try to keep your disciplein balance-not too many miles to run, not too manyglasses of Merlot, and you’ll get even more accom -plished.VViirrggoo - Women, lots of happy women, perhaps youare one of them, or you just have a bunch of them inyour life at the moment. Whatever you are doing, keepdoing it.LLiibbrraa - A good time to make a bold move. Is there apromotion you have your eye on, or someone sweet youwant to meet? Courage and persistence, and the godswill find favor with you.SSccoorrppiioo - There isn’t any part of you life that won’tbenefit from your passionate creativity. Break ahabit, take a chance, buy yourself a big box of crayonsand see where your doodles inspire you to go.SSaaggiittttaarriiuuss - Lady luck is smiling down on you-Smile back! This is a great time for you to plan outsome big goals, and take the first step to achieve them.CCaapprriiccoorrnn - It’s time to finish off that big project,and get ready to hand it over to someone else to man-age. You have put in great effort, and you’ll enjoysome great success, but you don’t need to keep yourhand on the tiller. Find a good manager, and take abreak.AAqquuaarriiuuss - There may be strife on the way, but youknow how to fight the good fight, and keep your ownethics flying. Don’t let the challenge distress you-yourrole is to meet the challenge and not lose your coolcenter.PPiisscceess - It’s time to fasten your ideals to the bulletinboard and read them every day until you have themmemorized. Life can be like this- Just focus and find away to step forward.

FFeebbrruuaarryy iissAAqquuaarriiuuss

Here we are, wishing a very happy birthday toour friends of the Aquarian persuasion. You are thesign most likely to be vegetarian, or vegan, you are thesign most likely to vote Green or Peace and Freedom,you are the sign whose recycling bin is always fullbefore the garbage bin is even halfway up. Simply put,you are the folks most likely to be reading The FreeVenice Beachhead. And you subscribe to the Nation,just to prove to yourself it’s not all about the poetry.You have the balanced blessing of being very committedfreedom lovers; open to almost anything except chang-ing your ideals. Perhaps being born in this time ofdark night and deep dreaming gives you a gift fordreams in particular. We have not been singing aboutthe Age of Aquarius for the last 30 years withoutknowing that it means peppermint and parsley for all.Not the little white candies with the red stripes- we aretalking about a serious cup of tea. And parsley is noton your plate to garnish it- you eat it after your mealto freshen your breath. But, all you Aquarians knowthis. You are devoted lovers of peppermint tea and dedi-cated parsley munchers as well.

In the quiet peace of your own kitchen, mostthings are labeled organic- the exception being thosethings that do not even have labels, because you boughtthem from the farmer’s market or bartered them forsome bodywork. Your pots and pans might be second-hand, your tools a bit jumbled, but you know whereeverything is at the exact moment you need it. You liketo keep it simple, but a nice plate and a hand wovennapkin might grace the table, with perhaps a little can-dlelight. Simple doesn’t mean Spartan, not for ourAquarius friends. And when you finish, you’ll be scrap -ing those last bits into the compost bin, because youreally do love your Mother. Still, there won’t be muchleft over from this dish, because it’s everything you likebest- Simple, veggie, easy enough to do but challengingenough to be interesting, and soul satisfying like a coldpeppermint tea on a hot winter’s day.

JJaappaanneessee BBeeaann RRiiccee (( MMaammee GGoohhaann))

3 Tsps dried yellow soy beans (daizu)1 1/2 cups short grain rice (white does better than

brown, here)1 1/2 cups water1 Tsp sake1 1/2 tsp saltToast the soy beans in a dry saucepan, shaking

the pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Beanswill crackle a bit, smell nice and scorch in some spots.Don’t worry- it’s part of the plan.

Cool beans on a plate. When completely cool, foldbeans in a clean tea towel, and go over them with arolling pin, to break the beans and slip the skins. Giveit three minutes, or 108 rolls of the rolling pin. Spreadthe beans out on a fresh towel and pick out the meat,discard (compost!) the skins.

Place rice in a saucepan, along with the beans andeverything else. Cook it like your average pot of rice, (Ilike to kill the flame on the last five minutes and justlet it finish itself with ambient heat- ) Make certainyour lid is on snug; steam is essential to happy rice.

This recipe is a traditional part of the SetsubunFestival in Japan, which takes place in February. It’sjust the dish for you.

And , it goes very nicely with- Spinach with Walnut Dressing 1/2 pound of stemmed, washed spinach4 large whole walnuts (or 1/3 cup chopped)1 tsp sugar4 tsps soy saucesake or water Parboil spinach briefly- very briefly. Like the

amount of time you are tasting your soy beans. Rinsethe spinach in cold water, and gently squeeze the excess.Cut the spinach into 1 inch wide shreds. Crush walnuts,but don’t pulverize them. You want dressing, not but -ter. Add sugar and soy and mix. Dilute to taste withsake or water. Toss with spinach, and enjoy.

You can feed your happy vegan self or treat abunch of friends.

They know your rice is co-op, your spinach isorganic, and your sake is as warm as your smile. Acup of peppermint tea makes a lovely dessert.

This is enemy has already silently infiltratedour community. No one seemed to be aware of it.Because they look like you and me. You can’t rec-ognize them at first site. In fact you may be sit-ting next to one right now. Look carefully. Theyhave a pocket full of cash and a head full ofdreams. Their dreams are our nightmares… It’s anightmare of homelessness and displacementfrom all you know.

I remember, in the years before the 21st cen-tury, every war fought by Americans has been indefense of our homes. It was an American wayof life. King George III, The Kaiser, Hitler, Stalin,Castro. Fight all of these despots. We had to.They wanted what we have but it’s ours, isn’t?Our home? Not to these new invaders. They arethe new dictators… They’re called developers. Idon’t know where they come from. I’m not surehow to eradicate these developers. They’re a ter-rifying, relentless and soulless breed. They saythey are here for the benefit of the communitybut what does a community gain when it losesits soul.? Make no mistake about it Venice haslost its soul to these developers.

Legend has it once you allow Dracula toenter your home he will have free reign to comeand go as he pleases. That’s what’s happened toVenice. Dracula is here and he’s sucking the lifeblood out of the community. He wants to give useternal life but it’s life on his terms not ours. “It’smy building, he says, I can do what I want. Youare powerless. You’re existence has no meaning.Only what I want is important.” Those are thewords developers speak…. If you hear them runfor your lives. Run… But where? I can’t afford tolive anywhere… Forty to Sixty percent rentincrease… I’m tired. I can’t go on… What isthere to do? There’s no one left to fight… Thewrecking ball is… Hello? Hello?

Is any one getting this message? If you are,please… please pass this warning on… pleasedo something before it’s too late… They’re com-ing for you… Yes, YOU! You’re next…

IInnvvaassiioonn ooff tthhee HHoommee SSnnaattcchheerrss– continued from page one

FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD • Feb. 2007 • 11

SSuuppppoorrtt YYoouurr LLooccaall NNeewwssppaappeerr!!

BBeeccoommee aa BBeeaacchhhheeaaddSSuussttaaiinneerr

Help our unique community newspa-per survive 2007. Without the Beach-head, where would you get your poet-ry, Venice news and opinions, photos,community events and informationabout progressive businesses thatadvertise here?

For $100 a year (installments are ok),you can help keep this independentlocal media voice alive.

Plus, you’ll get:

• Your name on page two (unlessyou want to be anonymous).

• Four free business-card sized ads ayear. Use them for birthday wish-es, etc.

• Each issue mailed to your address(unless you tell us not to).

Make your check to the Free VeniceBeachhead, and mail to:

P.O. Box 2 Venice, CA 90294

Comm-unity Events – by the numbers üþ

• Saturday, 3pm – Urban Tango: TheAgony and Ecstasy of Amateur Tango-In Search of the Elusive Embrace, theperformance brings the audience into

the heart of the woman’s Tango experience.Electric Lodge.

• Sunday, 9:30am – Lincoln PlaceTenant’s Association meeting, PenmarPark•Sunday, 5pm, – Open reading with

Theresa Antonia & Lisa Marie Sandoval,Beyond Baroque. $7/seniors $5.• Sunday, 9-12pm – Onaji Murray, great jazzvibes, No cover. Hal’s.

• Monday, 9-12pm – Bobby Matos,Latin jazz drumming icon. No cover.Hal’s.

• Tuesday, 7pm – L.A. City Council-member Bill Rosendahl will be holdinga Town Hall meeting to discuss therelocation of St. Joseph Center. PenmarRec. Center, 1341 Lake St., For more

information, call 311 or 568-8772.

• Wed. Feb. 7, 7pm – Miles of Miles,Ken Kubernik screens rare videos ofelectric Miles Davis concerts fromEurope and NY, featuring Chick Corea,

Dave Holland, Wayne Shorter. 6pm preshowclips of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra.Sponto Gallery.

• Sunday, 4-8pm – The GumboBrothers, live music. Venice Mardi Grasfundraiser, art & photography show.Sponto Gallery.

• Sunday, 9-12pm – Louis Taylor, No cover.Hal’s.

• Monday, 9-12pm – Cal Bennett, toofunky to be smooth alto sax player, Nocover. Hal’s.

• Thursday, 7:30pm – Yan Li & DenisMair read their poetry, Beyond Baroque.$7/seniors $5.• Thursday, 8pm – PXL THIS 16, the

16th annual Fisher Price toy camera film festival,screens at Vidiots, 302 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica.392-8508. Free. indiespace.com/pxlthis

• Saturday, 7-11pm – A Tribute to theLate Great Venice Beat Poet, JohnThomas. Featuring readings by WandaColeman, Philomene Long, Frank Rios,

Truth-I, Black Shoe Polish, and Firefly. Free.Sponto Gallery.• Saturday, 7:30pm – Daniel Tiffany & EllenWillis read their poetry, Beyond Baroque.$7/seniors $5.

• Sunday, noon-2pm – Venice OceanFront Walk Mardi Gras Parade, showoff your alligator wobble joining withyour wackily costumed neighbors walk-

ing from Rose to Windward and back. • Sunday 7pm – Poets Beyond the Half Shell,Beyond Baroque.• Sunday, 9-12pm – Greg Poree, busy guitarist/composer/arranger, Hal’s Bar and Grill 1349Abbot Kinney Blvd., 310-396-3105, no cover.

• Monday, 9-12pm – Thom Rottella,smoove jazz guitar, Hal’s Bar and Grill1349 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 310-396-3105,no cover.

Thurs./Fri./Sat. 8 pm and Sundays 3pm –Hogan’s Goat by William Alfred PacificResident Theatre 705 1/2 Venice Blvd. 822-8392$16-$23

Mon.-Fri. 10am-4pm, 1-5pm Sat. thru Feb. 28th – Documentary Photography: Antonio Turok’sphotographs of demonstrations and protests byindigenouspeople ofOaxaca,who aredeniededucation,and whoseprotests aresup-pressed. Traditional Oaxacan art objects are alsooffered for sale. SPARC

Location Guide• Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd. 822-3006

• Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave, 306-1854, brownpapertickets.com/event/8979

• Hal’s Bar and Grill 1349 Abbot KinneyBlvd., 396-3105

• Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave, Free, 306-7330, pfsuzy@aol.com

• SPARC - Social and Public Art ResourceCenter, 685 Venice Blvd, 310.822.9560 x 15.

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• Wednesday, 7pm, Taurobolium, film-maker Larry Wessel screens his intensebull fighting documentary. SpontoGallery.

• Friday, 7:30pm –Voices From LeimertPark, the World Stage AnthologyReading, Beyond Baroque. $10

• Sunday, 9-12pm, Quentin Dennard,legendary Motown/jazz/r&b drummer,No cover. Hal’s.

• Monday, 9-12pm, PhilUpchurch, one-time session

man for the Dells, JerryButler, the Crusaders,Howlin’ Wolf, andMuddy Waters, the long-time LA mainstay getsblue, funky, or soulfulwith the flick of a pick,No cover. Hal’s.

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Please send notices of Venice events to:Calendar@freevenice. org or PO Box 2, Venice90294.

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12 • Feb. 2007 • FREE VENICE BEACHHEAD

at the Venice Circle at Main & Windward

Join the Peace Surge!Speak Out for Peace

Photos by Geronimo

Photos by Geronimo

Photo by Hugh Stegman

Photo by Marcus

Photo by Marcus

Photo by Marcus

Photo by Hugh Stegman

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Photo byNext Move

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Photos from theJan. 27

anti-war marchin Los Angeles

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