Comments by Deb Wong

Open space being used to grow marijuana in Santa Clara County

Hi Todd,

I admire that you are doing what you think is right.  What is “right” is a matter of opinion, however.

Personal note: Several of my family members, including my dear brother who passed away at 47, suffered great pain from their cancers, and were only relieved of that pain through marijuana use. Their other pain killers wore off, or caused terrible side effects.

Now, I personally do not smoke weed. Even in my young hippie days, I only toked it for social reasons, as our crowd didn’t drink alcohol, so that was our “drug of choice”. It really didn’t do much for me, to be honest, and it hurt my throat.  I also never went on to “harder stuff”, and rarely drink alcohol these days (I never smoked cigarettes).

If marijuana were legal, medical science would be able to research & use the
drug in a positive way.  That pain-killing property could be turned into
medications which do not have the side effects of morphine, Vicodin, and
other medications that are used now. It would be nice if cannabis were called a “medication”, as it was used for thousands of years that way.

I have spent too much time in hospitals and
with dying loved ones in pain to see anything positive about a law which would keep them from alleviating that pain.  Morphine caused my brother to be asleep much of the time, to lose control of his body functions, and to suffer from horrendous hallucinations in his dreams, during his last days.

Then someone provided him with some marijuana. He was then able to communicate with us, had some dignity and autonomy, and most of all, to spend some quality time with us before he left. We were able to say our goodbyes,and everything we wanted to say. If he had stayed on morphine, he could not have done that, as he would have either been too out of it to communicate, or in too much pain.

At the time, the only access that my brother had to the substance was through someone who obtained it from an illegal source. I bless that illegal source, and curse a law that would make it wrong.

Most people’s acceptance of the law against marijuana has to do with our initial education about the plant. What we were taught in school about the plant was a result of a government which, in 1937, outlawed marijuana for political and racist reasons.

If anyone believes the hype that “Reefer Madness” and other propaganda about cannabis that was circulated at the time, they need to re-educate themselves.
No one that I knew ever behaved that way under the influence of marijuana - and I hung out with the Grateful Dead and many others who smoked the stuff all the time.  All it does is make a person so mellow, that the worst consequence was that they weren’t motivated to do much of anything.  Last I checked, “Laziness” and being relaxed are not illegal. There was also much creativity happening through that pot smoke.

Yet one of my sisters was killed, and another of my sisters was crippled, in car wrecks by persons who were impaired by a legal substance - alcohol.

Consider that if marijuana were legal, there would be unlimited revenues flowing into the state, and NO REASON for anyone to grow it otherwise. That means much less crowding in our overcrowded prisons.  That plot of land that you cleaned up could have been used to grow a legitimate cash crop, which
would have been taxed.

Those revenues would have contributed to funding schools, roads, and services which are now suffering for lack of funding. Legalizing Marijuana would lesson the national debt immensely. It would allow tax revenue to be spent on other more important issues than law enforcement.

You have to ask yourself WHY drugs like alcohol, cigarettes and many FDA approved “safe” drugs are legal, while cannabis is not.

David R Ford, who wrote:"[*Marijuana: Not Guilty As Charged*][1]”, writes:
“There are few legitimate arguments that can be made why marijuana shouldn’t be legal and a plethora of arguments that can be made why the drug should be legal. In ten thousand years of its use, there is not one recorded death from the overdose or toxicity of cannabis. Compare that with alcohol, which kills more than 100,000 American’s each year. Or with nicotine products that kill more than 400,000 annually. Or with the FDA-approved, so-called “safe drugs” listed in the physicians’ Desk Reference, which cause the death of
another 100,000 each year, and put one million Americans in the hospital annually as a result of toxicity or overdose.

Numerous published studies suggest that marijuana has medical value in treating patients with serious illnesses such as AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and chronic pain. The Institute of Medicine, in the most comprehensive study of medical marijuana’s efficacy to date, concluded: “Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety all can be mitigated by marijuana.”

Here is a good link for more information in the history of cannabis:

[http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html][2]

There are more arguments for cannabis, but you get the idea.  Just because something is the law, does not make it right or moral.  Many things which were once illegal(like interracial marriage and certain common sexual positions) are no longer illegal.  But it takes some real understanding of an issue, including learning its history, to ascertain
whether or not a law is just...and needs to be either defended - or changed.

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Not-Guilty-As-Charged/dp/0965593258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228056319&sr=8-1
[2]: http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

Open space being used to grow marijuana in Santa Clara County

I have no argument with you there. It’s a really stupid law, when there are harmful substances available which are perfectly legal, while pot growers are imprisoned & fined.

Stealing America: Vote by Vote in HMB Saturday

My daughter and her partner worked with Dorothy Fadiman in the 1980s-90s, and can attest to her integrity as a documentary filmmaker. I have no doubt that her findings are authentic, and have long suspected that the 2000 presidential election alone was affected by corruption, especially considering the outcome.

Gay wedding business opens on the Coastside

Same-sex marriage is not comparable to “houses of ill repute” or “gambling casinos”. If two people of marriagable age love each other, and wish to make the committment that marriage entails, why would anyone else care what they do with their lives?  We applaud our state Supreme Court in finally making the decision to legalize same-sex weddings.  Michael will be photographing one next month. It won’t be his first, however. The first same-sex wedding that Michael ever photographed was my daughter’s, back in 2004, when it was briefly legal in our state. 

Some of the longest and happiest relationships that we know involve same-sex couples. Many have grown children who turned out very well. That fits in with the best of family values.

As far as laws against same sex couples go - there was a time when people of different races were not allowed to marry, either. My husband & I would not be married today, if those laws were allowed to continue. 

Social progression involves the courage to move beyond the status quo of what has gone on before, in favor of an enlightened, more tolerant, and fair society.  This includes practices which were acceptable for centuries which are no longer tolerated (or legal) in our country.

Anything we can do to eradicate mysogyny, homophobia, racism, or any other type of discrimination is a step in the right direction. 

Whether we get the jobs or not, we are happy to know that someone is performing these services here on the coast for loving couples.  That they might also be bringing in revenue for local businesses is just icing on the wedding cake.

Gay wedding business opens on the Coastside

Well, yuk and Meg Ryan aside, we at Michael A. Wong Wedding Photography wish we had thought of it first.

Gay wedding business opens on the Coastside

**Well, Meg Ryan and yuk aside, we at Michael A. [Wong Wedding Photography][2] wish we had thought of it first.

HMB Safeway isn’t as expensive as you think, but it’s no bargain

Last Friday we had a customer who was visiting friends here, who lives in Belgium. She said that our gas prices were lower than in Belgium, but that our food prices are outrageously high (she was talking about the HMB Safeway). If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.

Is MCTV worth saving? Part II: Follow the money

I spoke too soon!  The MCTV website has been upgraded & re-vamped, and looks very good. There is also a more comprehensive schedule.  Now if they could just allow non-MCTV additions to their program line-up, it would be great!

Is MCTV worth saving? Part II: Follow the money

They seem rather stagnant, though they have been running a few new programs in the past week or so (at least new to me), including an ad or program about Sonrisas Dental Clinic. Perhaps someone at the station is reading these posts?  The MCTV website is abysmal, most of it “Under Construction”. No program schedule listed. A quote from their History page notes: “Creativity is encouraged, and the content restraints placed on the producers are clearly explained in MCTV’s guidelines.” Does that just mean not to offer anything TOO creative?

Opinion:  Understanding the history of the MCTV dispute

I would watch them! People love to know about the history of their town. It would be a boon especially for those who don’t read books or access the internet.

I have watched the programs on MCTV.  I was interested in that show about the Ocean Shore Railroad on MCTV.  Though the production values were dismal, (especially the horrible sound), I gleaned what I could from it, and was frustrated that there aren’t more local shows that go into the history of this area. 

I watched one production on the Chamarita which could have been great, if produced well.  After the first showing, one wants more - but with BETTER sound & images.  I watched the one on Galen Wolf, with our friend Enid Emde, discussing his living in Frenchman’s Creek, but the sound was so bad, that it almost hurt to watch/listen. 

I enjoyed watching some of the 4th of July parade from years ago, but wanted more.  You just get the feeling that you are viewing this stuff from inside an empty coke bottle. Why does it have to be that way?

Opinion:  Understanding the history of the MCTV dispute

Until reading these postings in Coastsider, I hadn’t understood why it was that our local tv station was so lame.  I just thought that nobody was interested.  Sad that the ivory tower mentality operating at MCTV is ruining what could be a great asset for our community.

The internet is a wonderful thing - I use & contribute to it every day. But I know many people who don’t use the net, and have no use for it. Television, as old a medium as it is, still carried impact, when you have worthwhile programing.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had a local tv channel that reflects the diversity and talent that is ignored so far by the present administration at MCTV?

Is MCTV worth saving? Part I:  MCTV privatizes the public record

Hi June,

Carl May has a point about the quality of production values, etc.  Though content is most often a matter of taste - and therefore more difficult to ascertain as to what offerings are “view-worthy” - meaning that you have to have good sound, picture, etc. for someone to sit there & watch.

I have a lot of videos uploaded to my YouTube (Debwong), but only some reach into the thousands in viewings.  YouTube is not perfect, either. I finally sprung for my own program to create my own flash videos, as YouTube not only censors some material, but has a requirement about the length of the video posted. 

I will say that YouTube’s META tags are great, as they bring those who are interested in your material to you. Put what you want in the search engine, and you have a selection of what interests you.  Also, viewers select the videos that have the best quality & content - thus the rating system on YouTube.

I like the idea extended to our local television station - PUBLIC Access - but I also know how bureaucracies work.  Given that MCTV is government funded (at least in part), and has to adhere to some standards, red tape might follow.  If we have the patience, however, videos with quality production values and interest to our community are achievable, in my view.

Is MCTV worth saving? Part I:  MCTV privatizes the public record

Reading June’s comment, I agree that the internet is a lovely place to exhibit your artwork, movies, etc. I have been doing just that since 1999 (put the name “Deb Wong” in the search engines - over half will be my sites). This doesn’t mean that we can’t have BOTH, though - right?  As June also said, cable may be some people’s only form of entertainment.  Not everyone has or is into computers. Small towns don’t have to equate to small minds or expectations.

Is MCTV worth saving? Part I:  MCTV privatizes the public record

I think that Carl has a point.  There are many talented and creative people in our community, who could contribute to our local station. We als have our own “characters” - and I mean that in the best way.

However, since I am a more recent resident of the Half Moon Bay area, having moved here just 8 years ago, perhaps I am not as aware about the politics of the power behind the media on the coast(I grew up in Pacifica, where we had our own politics). 

It is easy to become discouraged when one keeps being turned down by a small group who hold the keys, so to speak. I just think that if we keep expecting mediocrity, that is just what we will get.

I see nothing wrong in having visions of something better, considering the possibility that we can produce stimulating, informative, exciting, entertaining programs that our locals have produced.

Meanwhile, MCTV’s call letters should be changed to “ZZZZ”, to reflect its current programing.

Is MCTV worth saving? Part I:  MCTV privatizes the public record

Perhaps I’m naive, but I always thought that Community Television should reflect the diversity and varied interests of its community. The only way for that to happen is for station owners/managers to offer a viable forum for the locals - irrespective of the personal tastes or opinions of said management. 

Public Access can be a good thing, if handled properly.  Years ago, my daughter’s (award winning) film short “Daydream Believer” was shown on Redwood City’s public access station, which got the attention of KQED, where she was interviewed and had her film shown, as well.

A station has more credibility with not only its own community but with others too, when there is varied input of programming.  I hate to sound negative, but MCTV has become somewhat of a joke, and even worse, BORING.  It doesn’t have to be.

I do appreciate some of the programming that has been shown on Channel 6, but after the first several viewings, I longed for something FRESH, and maybe different.

Have Jeff Clark do something like “The Surf Report”, in a fun and interesting way.  Have locals who have a little knowledge of their vocations give short lessons, etc. The possibilities are limitless. I want a video of the painter who paints Old Paint, the Lemos Horse - painting the horse! Well, it isn’t for everyone - but have a little something for everyone.  That way, if a local businesses are represented, they can advertise the station at their business - it can help everyone.

Is MCTV worth saving? Part I:  MCTV privatizes the public record

MCTV offers next-to-nothing for local viewers. All we see are old re-runs of videos made in the 80s & 90s...over & over & over again - or poorly-made videos of public meetings with bad sound & lighting.  If it were off the air, who would notice its absence?

One might think that Ms. Malach would welcome new videos, fresh material, viewers contributions (as there are with many local stations around the country that we have seen).  But I guess if MCTV works for her “as-is”, she has no motivation to change the status quo.

Coastside Farmers’ Market field notes: Prologue to 2008

We’re looking forward to the Farmer’s Market returning to Shoreline Station - not just because it’s good for OUR business, too - but we have also enjoyed the selections we have found at the market! - Deb & Mike Wong, Spring Mountain Gallery

Darin’s Tuesday Photo: Ocean from Wavecrest

Incredible...and I see a lot of incredible photos. GREAT shot!

CCWD director sends anonymous hate mail to HMB planning commissioner

Not sure if Lambert is right that the letter from Mickelson was “much ado about nothing”. The letter writer seems to be harboring a lot of rage. He also appears slightly unstable, with the letter bordering on harrassment.  We do not need people like this in public service. The sentiments written on the letter have “loose canon” written all over them.

Darin’s Monday Photo: Hawk at Poplar Beach

That is one FAT hawk!  Must be good eatin’s ‘round those parts.

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