Racist Brands Bite the Dust

Americans are rejecting popular brands that use racist, ethnic and gender stereotypes to sell products.

Count Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, Mrs. Butterworth, Cream of Wheat, Eskimo Pie, Colonel Sanders, Don Pepino, Rosarita, Chef Boyardee, Chiquita, Land o’ Lakes, Sun-Maid, Jolly Green Giant and Betty Crocker among them.

Americans have lost tolerance for anything that ignores or contradicts the ideals of the Constitution. The demand is to live up to the Constitution’s promises. No more pretending or allowing exceptions. No more turning a blind eye.

The nationwide protests began when white men in uniforms targeted black or brown people one too many times. A straw broke the camel’s back. Outrages that had prompted short-lived reactions earlier, now produced protests that couldn’t be contained.

The street protests expanded to taking down undeserved monuments — statues of oppressors and destroyers who don’t warrant admiration and respect.

The objections simultaneously spread to brands, and producers were quick to react, more out of economics than morality.

So it’s sayonara, ciao, cheerio and adios to Aunt Jemima and the like.

BLAKESPEAR MATTERS Painted on Cardiff Street

BLAKESPEAR MATTERS has been painted in giant yellow capital letters on Rubenstein Drive in Cardiff.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the Guerrilla’s drone, helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft fleets, we were unable to get a photo by post time. The shot above demonstrates the technique that was probably used.

Rubenstein Drive residents, sheriff’s deputies and city public works department members stood looking at the yellow declaration and wondered how it was done without anybody knowing and sounding an alarm. Speculation was the painters must have planned well and worked quickly in the wee hours.

A debate ensued: Has Rubenstein Drive been defaced? Should the declaration remain? Should it be painted over with black paint? Does Blakespear matter?

One neighbor wondered aloud, “Who or what is Blakespear?”

News of the painted declaration spread quickly via social media. Comments piled up. Some examples: Your street is next. § It’s a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. § She has my vote. § I don’t like the color yellow. § Is it water-based or oil-based paint? § THUNDER MATTERS § Put a mask on it!

Scratching a declaration into beach sand with a stick is one thing. Painting a partisan statement on a public street is quite another. As the situation develops, no resolution is in sight.

Everything Open, People Free to Spread Virus at Will

Imprisonment is over at last. The oppressors have broken the chains. We can return to some semblance of normal. Employment can rise. The economy can come roaring back. We can share COVID-19 as freely as we please.

At the urging and with the complicity of the current federal administration, state governors decided what percentage of their respective populations they can afford to sacrifice to the virus for the sake of releasing people from home prisons, reducing domestic violence, getting the work force back to work and pushing the economy into the stratosphere.

Using statistics gathered since the virus reached the US, state governors calculated two percentages. First was cases to be tolerated overall, second was deaths among those cases. Both figures vary from state to state according to disease history; population; population concentration; racial, ethnic and gender assignment diversity; and atmospheric conditions and topography.

For example, with its 39.5 million residents, California, the most populous state, has different case and death tolerance figures than Wyoming, the least populous state, with 579,000 residents. The other factors also influenced the disparity in both case and death tolerance figures between those two states.

Facing an aggressive contagion in unprecedented conditions, we have reached a rational national policy state by state. Our perseverance has culminated in an American solution.

Our long national nightmare is over. Free at last! Free at last! Great virus almighty, we are free at last!

Encinitas Mayor Blamed for Every Problem in City

Mayor Catherine Blakespear gets blamed for every problem in Encinitas:

Horse chestnuts in Olivenhain — blame Blakespear!

Termites in the boat houses — blame Blakespear!

Ripped seats in the La Paloma theater — blame Blakespear!

Elitist vegetable gardens — blame Blakespear!

Traffic jams throughout the city — blame Blakespear!

Red tide — blame Blakespear!

May gray — blame Blakespear!

Closed schools — blame Blakespear!

5G — blame Blakespear!

Clueless Facebook live events — blame Blakespear!

Lousy Housing Element — blame Blakespear!

High unemployment — blame Blakespear!

Sting ray attacks — blame Blakespear!

Long lines outside Trader Joe’s — blame Blakespear!

Crisscross pedestrian walks at D and E Streets — blame Blakespear!

Closed beach parking lots — blame Blakespear!

Not enough diversity — blame Blakespear!

Misspent tax revenue — blame Blakespear!

Shark attacks — blame Blakespear!

Heavy April rain — blame Blakespear!

Economic decline — blame Blakespear!

Chicken abuse — blame Blakespear!

Sticky sidewalks downtown — blame Blakespear!

Stack-and-pack housing — blame Blakespear!

Closed restaurants, bars and salons — blame Blakespear!

Loud motorcycles on Highway 101 — blame Blakespear!

High residential rents — blame Blakespear!

Bike wrecks on Cardiff 101 — blame Blakespear!

Restricted speaker time — blame Blakespear!

Too many alcohol joints — blame Blakespear!

No cannabis joints — blame Blakespear!

Rampant homelessness — blame Blakespear!

Vacant storefronts — blame Blakespear!

Gridlocked Streetscape plan — blame Blakespear!

No red-light cameras — blame Blakespear!

Train noise everywhere but Cardiff — blame Blakespear!

Happy-talk newsletters — blame Blakespear!

Onshore winds — blame Blakespear!

Ignored residents — blame Blakespear!

Undersized roundabouts — blame Blakespear!

Dirty, crushed bollards — blame Blakespear!

COVID-19 — blame Blakespear!

Terrible roads — blame Blakespear!

High commercial rents — blame Blakespear!

Homeless parking lot — blame Blakespear!

Huge pension debt — blame Blakespear!

Cardiff Kook — blame Blakespear!

Hare-brained social media sites — blame Blakespear!

June gloom — blame Blakespear!

We’re Number One! USA! USA! USA!

As of today, the US leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths. We have 3.5 times as many cases as Brazil and 4.5 times as many as Russia. We’ve had 3.5 times as many deaths as Brazil and 22 times as many as Russia.

We’re the world leader in COVID-19 as we are in just about everything else. That’s the way it’s been and will always be. We’re better than any other nation in the world. No other country can beat us, match us or even come close. There’s no contest. We leave all the others behind in the distant dust.

It’s simple. We’re collectively superior. Maybe here and there a few other people have bested us, but as a population we’re so much better at everything that no other country can hope to catch up.

When COVID-19 came along, there was a momentary danger that the US would fall to second or even third place. But our team rallied. We came from behind and quickly gained the unchallenged lead.

Considering the gap between our first place and the second and third placers, there’s little chance we’ll be overtaken. As Americans, we can again be proud that we lead the world.

USA! USA! USA! We’re Number One!