February 2022 – Really Right

Chancellor of CSU System Resigns in Disgrace

Joseph Castro (photo above) was the Chancellor of the California State University system until yesterday when he made the “biggest decision of his life….to resign.” He was under investigation for mishandling sexual assault and workplace intimidation claims of a colleague. Castro was in his first year as chancellor after being promoted from President of CSU Fresno. While at CSU Fresno he was a dumpster fire to say the least, check out this report….

Castro was personally aware of at least seven complaints against Frank Lamas, the head of campus student affairs at Fresno State. The complaints against Lamas, at least 12 in all, detailed a pattern in which the senior administrator “stared at women’s breasts, touched women inappropriately, made sexist remarks, and berated, belittled, and retaliated against employees,” ,” USA TODAY reported. Those complaints began soon after Lamas was hired and spanned the six years he was on the job.
Cal State chancellor resigns under fire over how he handled sexual harassment complaints

Not one, two or a third complaint, 12. That my friends is a pattern, a really bad one. Castro and Frank Lamas were obviously close, check out this bombshell…

Despite knowledge of the allegations, Castro still recommended Lamas for an achievement award and later — rather than firing or calling for his resignation — paid him $260,000 and full retirement benefits to leave his post. The settlement forbade Lamas from ever working again at the Cal State system, but promised him a letter of recommendation if he wanted to work at a different college.

I understand the idea of paying someone off to avoid litigation, but the idea of a letter of rec? That just seems like allowing a predator to continue elsewhere. To our non-California readers, this is quite common in our education system at the high school level. There is even a word for it…passing the trash. Castro in his bio claims he graduated from Cal Berkeley and Stanford, he is obviously not dumb, but how could he be so tone deaf in the #metoo era?

That same day Castro and Lillian Kimbell, who heads the Cal State board of trustees, both said that they welcomed an independent investigation into how Castro handled the assault charges against Lamas. Castro partially defended his actions at Fresno State: “While I followed CSU policy and took the steps to ensure this individual could never work on a CSU campus, I recognize that certain aspects of the process should have been handled better.”
Castro further explained his rationale for offering Lamas a letter of recommendation in an “open letter” he shared with Cal State students and staff that night. “In hindsight, while my motives were to expedite Dr. Lamas’ permanent removal from the CSU, I regret agreeing to this aspect of the settlement, knowing that it caused additional pain,” Castro wrote.

So, in the eyes of Mr. Chancellor paying someone off is the best way to expedite a dismissal? Well, I guess when it’s the people’s money not yours that’s the way it works. I take back what I say about Castro being smart, he is just a dumb bureaucrat who would be on unemployment if it weren’t for government work. Only in government is incompetence allowed.

Consternation continued to flow. Students had gathered protesting Castro’s handling of the sexual assault claims. The Visalia Times-Delta posted an editorial urging the university’s board to fire Castro. The systemwide academic faculty union sought an independent investigation, calling the USA Today report “disturbing.” The faculty senate at Fresno State also expressed dismay over Castro’s time at Fresno through a vote of no-confidence.

At this point the cake was baked, Castro needed to resign. A career of incompetence. All Castro needed to do was turn over the reports to a Title 9 officer. Trust me on this the UC and CSU system is chock full of bureaucrats holding the title Chief of ___, but unlike me they have real jobs, for me it’s just a fancy name. Castro could have called a legal counsel; I am sure again numerous were at his beck and call. Could have gone to the trustees on the board, or even the governor, attorney general…. heck the damn city council of Fresno. But nope, he hid a sexual deviant and predator for reasons unknown.

Truth be told, the toughest decision Castro had to make was covering for Lamas, and he instead made it over and over and over again. The #metoo movement may not be one you agree with, but if you think you can escape unscathed your mistaken. Castro had a ton going for him, and he threw it all away. He is a loser, and a coward. He spoke about how he disagreed with the decision of the board and their investigation…. why didn’t he dig in and fight? Instead, he didn’t, like any other coward he cut and ran. He talked about how resigning was a tough choice, really it wasn’t. Cowards like him do it all the time, they would rather run away then face the music.

The last aspect of this commentary from me is this. God Bless, State of California quit hiring people based on their skin color or “being the first.” This Castro moron was in way over his head, the job was too big for him. But he checked a box and in California that is all that mattered. Quite a few highly qualified folks likely applied, and Castro was selected based on his skin color. Go ahead try to call me a racist, I call it like I see it. Castro had these issues at CSU Fresno, and they finally bubbled up a year later? Nice job Castro…. now make an easy decision, stop covering up sexual assault, and why the hell are you helping out a low life like Lamas?

Good riddance.

The Chief

Is this still a political blog?

If you are wondering yes, it is. However due to the complete inaction of the democrat majority on…well basically anything, there is nothing to write about. Think about it, ever since President Dementia took office what exactly has, he done?

Well, he undid Trump with the stroke of a pen. (This means executive orders).

They bickered among themselves about a Build Back Better bill…. it’s basically dead.

Botched the Afghanistan pull out.

Passed a watered-down infrastructure bill (with the GOP pushing it across like they always do.)

He sent some troops to Eastern Europe but said they won’t be involved in Ukraine.

Spent a year investigating the January 6^th insurrection.

He stopped the Keystone pipeline…. we are all paying for that.

They still haven’t tried to undo the SALT tax cap. (State and Local Tax max you can write off on your taxes. We here are predicting this will be the equivalent of the GOP repealing Obamacare.)

That’s about it. If you can think of more leave, it in the comments.

That’s a great first year in office, he said he would stop Trump and they did. Folks it’s sad, he got elected president, and he had all these idea’s…. not! Actually I think his whole presidency is similar to when Trump got elected…. his own party was in shock!

So yes, we are still a political blog but there is not much to write about.

Winners never cheat….Cheaters never win: Courthouse Edition

Sometime last year, a customer of mine got a speeding ticket. Shortly thereafter, they did traffic school. Recently, said traffic violator came into my office and literally argued with me about his consequences for the better part of an hour. As a result I was unable to assist anyone as he had me cornered while he vented.

In cases like these, the issue flows in this pattern…..the court where you got the ticket….the DMV….your insurance company. The order I just listed is the order of who can help you alleviate the issue. In essence you need the court to notify the DMV that you did traffic school, and DMV removes the ticket…then we (the insurance company) remove it from your record. Like any other interaction with a government entity, don’t expect the issue to resolve quickly. Also expect to spend many hours trying to just get to someone who can help.

The story I am recounting in this blog post is a true one, and will show why if you cheat, you do not win.

To set the scene, the customer and his spouse are immigrants from North Africa. While they speak English, they tend to use a massive accent or claim they do not understand when the outcome isn’t favorable. Since they did do traffic school 3 days after paying the ticket, I thought they might have a shot at getting this ticket overturned. I suggested going to the court house in Jackson, and essentially pleading ignorance about not knowing you had to pay an extra fine for traffic school. Since they literally did the traffic school 3 days later, and the cost of the ticket hitting your insurance is roughly $400 a year, it’s worth the fight. My suggestion of pleading ignorance, basically meaning you don’t speak the language well enough and you made a mistake probably would have worked, but since we were in February and the ticket happened in July time was short.

Rather than head to Jackson, they wanted to try their luck at DMV. Again they did not go to a group that could help, but once again wasted a day arguing with folks who cannot aide them. They came back to my office saying they were at DMV for 4 days arguing with different people, and they all said you must go to the court. So we are back to step 1, and it’s like nothing happened….because nothing did. Worse yet, more time had elapsed between the day of the ticket and present. I implored them to go to the court, of course they waited yet another week. Finally they went to the court where they were told they were out of luck, because too much time had passed. The ticket stands as paid, and it will hit their driving record, did they plead ignorance? Of course not.

They pointed out they do not speak or read English well, and had their English proficient granddaughter navigate the website and pay the fine. Strike one, look at the red lettering on this screen shot regarding paying your ticket vs traffic school.

http://www.amadorcourt.org/dv-traffic.aspx

Secondly, they said their granddaughter did traffic school online on their behalf….that’s illegal in CA. Strike 2.

After hearing this, they went into full scorched earth rage, blaming their granddaughter, and everyone else, making a very public scene at the court. (They volunteered this info to me upon returning to my office to argue some more, even though it was established of all the people who could help, I was least able.)

Folks I’ll wrap it up this way, if you are going to cheat the system, you’d best make sure you think it out prior. Make sure if questioned you have a reason for your actions. These two were trying to scam the system. Like anyone else, they see the USA as the land of opportunity and can tell any story and get away with it. They had their granddaughter pay the fine, and do the traffic school, yet somehow they didn’t think their plan through. Who’d think it could backfire? Literally on the traffic school paperwork you have to swear under penalty of perjury it was you who took the tests. However my favorite part of the story was how they threw everyone but themselves under the bus! I know who suggested that, I work with him, it never works in a setting like this.

If you want to be a winner in the game of life cheating is not a good way to start. Own your mistake, people will have a better respect for you. No one likes the guy that always blaming others. Also who had the idea to argue with all the folks who cannot help? The insurance guy and the DMV can’t overturn the court, why would you go to them first? And do the damn traffic school yourself! Lying sack of crap. You got what you deserved!

The Chief

My Take on Ukraine-Russia

Comrade Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. that’s his real name by the way, decided the best way to counter Russia’s 100-130,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, was to send about 2,500 of our troops to Europe. Doesn’t take a math major to know those numbers do not look favorable. Belarus, a close Russia ally has allowed troops to amass along their border with Ukraine as well. It is my opinion war is imminent in the area, I have a feeling Russia is going to annex the entire eastern part of Ukraine. For those uneducated on the matter Ukraine is almost like 2 separate countries sharing a common government. Eastern Ukraine would rather be part of Russia, western Ukraine wants to be part of Europe. Think similar to our government neither party agrees on anything except how much to spend.

Russia under Putin has made it clear he wants all of the former Soviet Union to be united as one again. Belarus is a willing ally because like the far left in this country is ok with a war, as long as Russia kills them off last. For those who doubt me, Putin has invaded the former soviet counties of Georgia, and Ukraine, and likely will do the same with its other non-NATO neighbors. You do not set up makeshift hospitals and blood banks near your border with a large mass of troops to have a military drill; this is a scenario where the generals are awaiting the go-code from Putin.

Enter our senile and very weak president, sending 2,500 troops (all fully vaccinated by the way) out to Europe does nothing, it just further enrages a crazy person like Putin. Worse yet China who has drifted ever closer to Russia over the years in terms of superpower status in the region seems to have its eyes on Taiwan. They are working in tandem and likely negotiating terms of attack in secret. Neither wants the USA anywhere near them, and frankly we have no business in the region anyways.

Folks I want to lay out why we are making a serious mistake sending our troops there, and frankly it shouldn’t be that hard to see, history should always be our guide.

First off, why are we intervening in the Ukraine? They are not an ally, nor a part of NATO. They are a corrupt country that has an extremely weak military to begin with and underpaid to boot. Think North Korea, but with shaky loyalty at best. We really are considering sending our young people to fight in a battle in a region where we only have a slight vested interest? (Russia being an untrusted enemy). Furthermore, NATO aligned European countries are offering tepid support at best, Germany has sent about 5,000 helmets (God I can imagine Putin shuttering at the thought) UK is offering military aid, and countries like Poland have said they could help. That’s not exactly a serious showing of solidarity. They all know Russia is going to topple Ukraine, and they aren’t worth fighting for.

Or is it?

Europe is very dependent on natural gas from Russia, as Germany and other countries have turned off their nuke and coal power…. sound familiar? Well, they don’t want their people to be cold in the winter or risk Putin shutting the valve off. Translation = They aren’t going against Putin for a non-NATO ally. Sanctions don’t really scare Putin either. This is something the neo-libs and neo-cons will never understand, war is never a good option, especially when facing someone crazy.

The sad thing is we once again are trying to police the world, we are no longer a superpower, I’m sorry. Putin knows this he see’s weakness. Our President is weak and indecisive, can’t even get through a presser without flubbing the canned speech, and OMG don’t ask a question…wait you can’t. Putin is going to go as far as creating propaganda of the US somehow starting this conflict. I do not understand how I can see this playing out poorly for us but many in power cannot. Maybe it’s the Cold War era policies, and history is repeating itself. This is a cataclysmic mistake, even de-escalation means we lose, we look bad.

Here is what I would do if I was tasked with going mano-a-mano with Putin. First of all, remember smart people never challenge stupid people to a fight, the stupid one always wins as that person will do anything to come out on top. I send no troops, as we already have them stationed all over the globe, sans Afghanistan. I show the world satellite imaging of the troop build ups and, in a NATO, led presser call out Russia, asking what they are doing, and when it will be over with. I tell Ukraine to scale down the military operations in the border area, as you want to be weak when Russia thinks its strong. The world is watching as the winter Olympics are taking place in neighboring China. China wants no part of Russia pulling shenanigans during its Olympic games. I tell Putin forcefully if he fires a bullet or drops a bomb, we are going to bomb the sh*t out of his country. I mean scorched earth, and I tell Belarus get Russian troops out of your country or we will test the bombs on you. Then I tell China and Russia if North Korea shoots any US or NATO allied plane out of the air, there will only be one Korea, and it will involve US troops at the border with China. This is a nightmare for both China and Russia. Russia also needs to know any, and all bordering countries will be NATO members if he invades. I do not fear the Russian army, they are not big and are unskilled, however a country like Ukraine or Georgia does, as they are outgunned, outmanned and outflanked.

My plan may or may not work, but it’s far better than sending a token number of young people to stand sentinel while facing an army of 100-130,000 with a crazy leader hell bent on expansion. You don’t try to reason with a drunk at a bar, right? We shouldn’t reason with a power-hungry crazy person. Let him get his moment in the spotlight and make him step down.

The Chief

Is Sports Allegiance the new “politics or religion?”

I came across this article today, I’ll summarize. A SF 49er fan was beaten to within inches of his life (as of writing) at last weekend’s SF vs LA Rams football game. He is in a coma, fighting for his life. Luna owns a restaurant in Oakland and traveled for the game to see his team play in brand new SoFi stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams. The following is from the LA Times article.

“Police are investigating the apparent beating of a San Francisco 49ers fan found severely injured in the parking lot of SoFi Stadium during Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Rams.
Daniel Luna, a restaurant owner from Oakland, remains hospitalized at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in what Inglewood police said was a medically induced coma.
Luna, 40, was discovered on the ground by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics in the stadium’s Lot L about 4 p.m., half an hour into the Rams-49ers contest, said Inglewood Police Lt. Geoffrey Meeks. Luna was wearing a San Francisco jersey and black pants, Meeks said.”

Police have stated they do not believe the attackers used weapons, just their hands, legs and fists. Looking at the time when Luna was found, it suggests this savage attack happened just prior or slightly prior to the game’s kickoff, as Luna was not in the stadium he was in the parking lot. We here at reallyright.com wish him a speedy recovery.

I compare sports allegiance to religion or politics in the sense if you disagree you shut the other person up. I work with someone who says AOC should be muzzled, and not allowed to speak, completely ignoring the first amendment because it suits him. If someone takes an opposing view, you get angry, mad, or flat out dismiss or wish ill on them. In the case of Luna, it could well be death. This is a scary place to be in a so-called civilized society. Its far scarier to envision a likely situation of fans of both teams (the stadium was reported as a roughly 50/50 split) walking by the altercation and the aftermath on the way to the game and no one attempted to stop this/call for help. Again Mr. Luna was put into a coma for simply wearing the other team’s colors in the opponent’s stadium…hardly the crime of the century.

To be fair, I was not there, and to date no security footage was produced to show the events leading up to, and the altercation itself. Me assuming or writing my thoughts on who or whom were the aggressors is plain wrong. However, I have been to enough games in person, wearing both the home and visiting teams’ colors to be able to form a likely opinion of what went down.

Luna was at the game by himself, as the article insinuated. I have been there before whilst wearing the oppositions colors, I can tell you I would never have even a sip of alcohol in me, prior/during/after the game just because I’m completely outmanned and outnumbered. Luna wearing the opposition colors likely angered some middle aged (40 plus) folks on their way into the game. Trash talk likely ensued, especially from the Rams fans, as they were the home team, Luna likely responded in kind. Alcohol played a very large role, drugs may or may not have been included, again no need to speculate on my part, just relying on my experiences. Trash talk leads to someone likely saying something stupid, and the other side taking offense, again no way of knowing the aggressor/agitator, but I doubt it was the sole 49er fan/business owner. The other side jumped him, savagely beating him, and leaving him to be discovered later/perish. Scores of fans and onlookers saw this but didn’t say a word. I call this the “subway car effect” when many see, but no one wants to be the one who says anything. As a result, Mr. Luna is in a coma, luckily he was found prior to being killed.

Here is my personal experiences at ballgames in Oakland, and San Francisco. I can tell you firsthand these games are not safe even for fans of the home team. I have witnessed Oakland A’s fans beating on each other (shocking), Giants fans, and Angel fans. I have been to a raider game wearing both raider colors (barf) and my Buccaneer colors. This was a site to behold, as Raider fans were goading me into fights, throwing beverages at me, and screaming directly into my face. The game sucked and my team won. I have been to Giants games both as a A’s fan, and one wearing giants colors. This was a total clusterfuck as it got to the point in the centerfield bleachers police in riot gear lined the outfield fence. The situation resembled more of a protest of a dictator then that of a ball game. As a result, I have not returned to any arena or stadium to take in a game. It’s flat out not fun anymore, I’ve even been offered free tickets. I will not go. Actually, let me rephrase it is dangerous, whether you are a home or away fan.

It used to be if you went to a game, the folks causing a ruckus were mid twenty-year-olds coked out on some form of drug, or frat bros heavily lubricated on alcohol. The script has changed, and not for the better. Now its folks old enough to be my parents (notice both genders) who overindulge and are looking for trouble. This is not the exception it’s the rule. I’ve had grown women screaming in my face, blocking my movements literally begging for me to instigate something. I usually got secondhand alcohol off their screaming. At the raider game the police would stand idly by and laugh even as I was pelted by beverages or shoved. That is when I figured it out, and at 28 my days going to games were over.

It’s all good though I’m sure LA County DA George Gascon will charge them to the fullest extent of the law when these thugs are caught….

Oh wait, when a dodger fan outside Giant’s stadium was stabbed and killed by Giants fans he looked the other way when he was DA……

San Francisco prosecutors have declined to file charges in a stabbing case stemming from the Giants-Dodgers rivalry that resulted in the death of a 24-year-old Dodgers fan near AT&T Park last year.
District Attorney George Gascón said Friday that his office could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michael Montgomery, 21, of Lodi did not act in self-defense when he stabbed Fort Bragg resident Jonathan Denver in a brawl on Sept. 25.
Authorities say subsequent interviews with witnesses and fight participants conducted over the past six months revealed that Denver and his brother had teamed up against Montgomery before he used a knife to protect himself.
Denver had left a Giants-Dodgers game that night with his father and brother in the eighth inning to go to a bar.
They encountered Montgomery and his friends in front of a liquor store near Third and Harrison streets in the South of Market neighborhood about 11:30 p.m. One of Montgomery’s friends was wearing a Giants cap.
Six months later, prosecutors said the circumstances have changed but charges will still not be filed. Gascón explained that in California, prosecutors not only have to prove their cases beyond a reasonable doubt, but they also have to prove the defendant did not act in “lawful self-defense.”
Evidence from a district attorney’s office investigation determined prosecutors would not be able to prove that.

Think twice prior to going to a game whether in your home or away team’s colors, its deadly. Too much boozing/drugging in the parking lot prior, during, and after. It’s not worth it. The game will be on somewhere…. likely a lot safer.

Johnnie Does

More info on this beatdown can be found here