I have no idea why these events have been on my mind so much recently. Maybe because it’s the same time of year? I had a rough couple of months during my 12th year on earth but learned some valuable lessons in the process. On November 2nd 1993  my mom’s house burned down in the Malibu fires. Just like that. Burned to the ground. I remember that morning vividly and  thinking it was a beautiful day. So blue. So bright. Not a cloud in the sky. My mom dropped me off at school just like any other day. My life was pretty ordinary. I had no idea that everything was going to change and that just like that I would lose all my things. My sock monkey from when I was a baby. The video of me at 6 telling my mom that skiing “just wasn’t my kinda sport”. A good portion of my baby photos. All my things. My special things. Our house was the only house on the block that burned down too. Totally unfair I thought. A tiny ember flying in the wind landed on our house and burned it to the ground. How strange is that.

Two months later on January 17th 1994 my dad’s house crumbled in an earthquake…with us in it. As you can imagine I remember that pretty vividly as well. When the shaking started I remember thinking it was a dream. That I was in a dream. Then my mini tv fell on me and I realized that I wasn’t in a dream. The shaking felt like it went on forever. I think it was only 15 seconds but it was the longest 15 seconds of my life. Then it went quiet and the rumbling stopped and I could hear my Dad screaming my name because he couldn’t get my door open. It was jammed. I remember standing at the door frozen with shock. We somehow managed to get out of the house without being seriously hurt.

These two events taught me that life can sometimes be totally unfair, unpredictable and scary. Everything can change in an instant. We never know when the rug is going to be pulled out from underneath us but I also learned that wrapped up in difficult moments are beautiful lessons. I have very little attachment to things anymore. They don’t define me. I also am very adaptable because of these events. Truly you could stick me anywhere and I would be fine. Beautiful lessons sometimes come wrapped in shitty packages.

Pacino shouted to other cops surveying the crime scene in the classic movie, “HEAT”, WHATTA WE GOT!?   WHATTA WE GOT!?   Well, what we’ve got here in Malibu are three major  brush fires this last year.   Plus others.  That’s what we’ve got. And more fires in terrain similar to Malibu, all over California. We just recently experienced one of the largest fires in Los Angeles, the Station Fire.  So, why do we have an un-elected bureaucrat exerting all his powers to legalize more campfires in our hillside tinder-box?  The “permitted Malibu fires”, he advocates will unavoidably create even more fires, destroying more homes, and risking more injury and death.

How is it possible for an obsessed bureaucrat to stonewall the public’s concern about Malibu mountain brush fire storms when here we are right next to a shoreline with miles of open, brushless, sandy Malibu beaches – the best place in the world for campfires, with evening surf sounds, cool breezes, and easy patrolling.   But, ah, there’s the rub.  Such would deny Santa Monica  Mountains Conservancy director Joe Edmiston his high-risk, Malibu patrolling areas thereby justifying expansion of his own private force of armed rangers. Edmiston has no authority on our Malibu beaches.  Could that explain his blithe unconcern about fires in our tinder-dry Malibu hills?   

Why not consider the monetary question of risk?  Once legalized, fires will drive up  the cost of fire insurance.   We know the costs will be considerably higher in the Malibu brush.  Are Malibu homeowners who can afford it supposed to rebuild and wait for the next fire? I don’t think so.  One writer to our local Malibu Surfrider newspaper paper notes we in Malibu are a BEACH COMMUNITY  where safe fires can be employed, easily controlled, and enjoyed with little danger.  Rather than, the hills-alight, king-of-fright, our own Pyro Joe Edmiston,  immediately following our worst fire season, has the chutzpah to introduce his scheme to expand his fiefdom of  power.  Although not a pyromaniac, just a petty tyrant, he can’t be fired except for cause or egregious incompetence.  Say!  There’s a thought.   Sacramento wants to tax us out of our homes.  Pyro Joe wants to burn us out of our Malibu homes.

Update   The STATE had a meeting with Malibu homeowners, Kangaroo Court actually, and after a ten hour supposed “hearing”, the State resolutely voted down the Malibu residents.  It’s time to organize a civilian watch, bring a class action for their imprudent activities, and stay in front of the press.  Don’t we have more than enough planning already?

At Malibu Real Estate Confidential, we’d love to hear from you – about real estate, freedom, citizenship and home ownership.  You can reach Peter Fleming directly at 310-454-1373 or email him at peterfleming@earthlink.net.  For all your home buying and selling needs shouldn’t you choose a real estate agent with a seasoned attitude and a commitment to home ownership?

Amen. Found this on Mark’s site. Continued prayers for the Malibu Church.

But that isn’t the worst of it. Jezebel uncovered this gem from the Washington Post.

“I heard from neighbors my place was okay,” said Shel Greenhill, who pulled up in a BMW station wagon with a large poodle in the back. “But I’m worried about my koi pond.”

Shel. Honey. I don’t even know where to start.

In case we all forgot about Rudy’s love toward corrupt and now jailed Bernard Kerik… Rudy’s personal driver was placed as NYPD Police Commissioner, named a partner in Giuliani’s consulting firm, and then placed on the “short-list” to head up Homeland Security. But that was long before Kerik plead guilty for corruption charges and thrown in jail. Now Giuliani declares that he’s “BFF” with an accused child-molester, Monsignor Alan Placa.

It would figure that a blow-hard would be best friends with a Catholic cock-sucker.

Plans expected are that the “Liberal Media” will be scrutinizing this story with headlines repeated on CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC for the next nine weeks. PBS, run and managed by Satan worshiping homosexuals, are planning on a five month mini-series to study Monsignor’s victims and raffle through his personal checkbooks. Said CNN’s mega-liberal Wolf Blitzer: “You think you’re tired of Anna Nichole Smith stories on ‘Entertainment Tonight?! You ain’t see nothing yet!”

Conservative Christians are horrified by the news and talks have begun on a public stoning on both Giuliani and Placa.

Barak Obama Climbs In Bed With X-Gay Jesus-Preacher

He’s fuzzy on the gay marriage issue, he flubs up on the “Gen Peter Pace thinks Gays are Immoral” story, he’s AWOL when it comes to the Jenna 6 story, he’s non-committal on saluting the Red, White and Blue and now Barak Obama’s in bed sodomizing an “X-Gay” who’s on a Gospel singing senation in South Carolina.

Donnie McClurkin, a self-righteous “Christian” singer who claims he’s been cured of his propensity for pole-smoking and foreskins, claims homosexuals are a curse.

From their bed, Barak Obama defended his relationship with McClurkin in a written statement where he said:

I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country.

Once he finished writing those words, McClurkin offered his own views about their relationship from underneath the bed-linens by saying:

“Murphmmmphpmph. Mrfmmmfmfmf…mm!! Mrphphmmmph -murphmph”

Mitt Romney Opens His Mouth and More Stupid Things Come Out

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, slipped and flip-flopped again on the war on terrorism and “accidentally” called Barak Obama “Osama” (bin laden) in SC. Romney said:

“Actually, just look at what Osam — Barack Obama — said just yesterday. Barack Obama, calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield. … It’s almost as if the Democratic contenders for president are living in fantasyland. Their idea for jihad is to retreat, and their idea for the economy is to also retreat. And in my view, both efforts are wrongheaded.”

Update:

Ben Smith @ Politicol tried to milk a rationalization:

Apparently, Mitt Romney can switch names just as casually as he switches positions, but what’s wrongheaded is continuing a misguided war in Iraq that has left America less safe. It’s time to end the divisiveness and fear-mongering that is at the heart of Governor Romney’s campaign.

Then (Mitt Romney)  he took a swipe at John Edwards with:

It’s my personal belief that having someone like John Edwards, a senator, who goes out and communicates that there is no global war on terror — that it’s just a Bush bumper sticker — I think that is a position that is not consistent with the facts.”

Edwards was the first to responded with:

First of all, he’s got seeming amnesia. He himself has said that we’re not in a war in terror — I’ll paraphrase it — terrorists are at war with us.

After which, Edwards sent Romney a Crayola box of 64 with the built-in sharpener.

CNN’s Glenn Beck: “Malibu Fires Are Punishing Liberals/Democrats”

CNN’s smartest “news” commentator Glenn Beck shows his patriotism by noting the Malibu fires is a result of the local residents’ hatred toward America.

“I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.”

He then placed a flag-pin on his coat lapel and went on by saying:

There are a few people that hate America. But I don’t think the Democrats are those. I think there are those posing as Democrats that are like that.

Then he put on his Uncle Sam hat, popped a lithium and began singing “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy!”and tap-danced his ass off the stage.

Of course, following Beck’s logic, God’s been beating the shit out of “I Hate America” Red states like Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama for the past three years.

Forbes Magazine Ranks Minnesota 15th Greenest State

Minnesota’s been given the award of the “greenest state” followed by extra-green states like New Jersey and Maryland. While New Jersey claims less commuter miles driven each day to work and Maryland claims lower carbon footprints, it’s all in how it’s stacked up, according to the magazine’s reporters Brian Wingfield and Miriam Marcus.

On top: Vermont, Oregon and Washington. All have low carbon dioxide emissions per capita (or “carbon footprints”), strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality, as indicated by their major metro areas that are low in smog and ozone pollution. They’re also among the states with the most buildings (on a per capita basis) that have received the U.S. Green Building Council’s benchmark certification, known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Minnesota was rudely kicked to 15th place, the authors’ said, because Minnesota’s leadership keep polluting its rivers by throwing their citizens and their automobiles while crossing the I-35 bridge. “Besides”, Ms. Marcus said; “Technically; Minnesota is only green for about four months out of the year. The rest of the year, Minnesota is all white!”

I was amused by a news headline I saw that read Southern California Destroyed By Fire, as if this entire half of the state had been burnt to the ground and there was nobody left.  We are still here, and we’ve actually had much worse fires with much greater damage in the past.

Anyway, in light of all that, I’ve decided to feature two poems today that both contain the word “Fire” in their titles.  The first is called Armies in the Fire by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Here is a portion of the poem:

“Now in the falling of the gloom
The red fire paints the empty room:
And warmly on the roof it looks,
And flickers on the back of books.”

And Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde begins:

“I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his tumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before the morning comes
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.”

To see the full text of these poems, follow the links above.

• Tough week at Pepperdine.  First, their top returning player Kingsley Costain was dismissed from the school; now they don’t have anywhere to practice due to the insane fires in Malibu.
• Now that Maryland has instituted a new alcohol awareness program, what’s the over/under on some Terp like James Gist getting a DWI?  Or maybe it’ll be our favorite tool, Gus Gilchrist?  He committed to the Terps over the weekend and will play next season.
• Maybe Purdue’s Gordon Watt should transfer to Maryland now – he was kicked out of Purdue for a DWI last week.
• In a nice gesture, the ACC renamed its Scholar-Athlete award in honor of Skip Prosser.
• BYU extended head coach Dave Rose‘s contract through 2011.
• Bob Knight really hates cell phones.
• Beginning next year, the Preseason NIT will guarantee each participant four games at on-campus sites, even for those teams that lose in the first two rounds.
• We hadn’t seen this yet, but ESPN announced its College Gameday sites a week or two ago.  We cannot wait until Jan. 26 – Creighton at S. Illinois.
• Thankfully, Myles Brand says there will be no expansion of the NCAA Tournament anytime soon.
• Raymond Felton didn’t help Roy after all – Iman Shumpert chose Georgia Tech over UNC and Marquette.
• Andy Katz has a really interesting article about Kevin Love asking the Wizard of Westwood (who turned 97 Sunday) for advice.  We like this kid already.
• Thad Matta is hobbling around after back surgery this summer.
• More Preseason Chatter -
  • ACC Media Days – the Research Triangle schools came in 1 (UNC), 2 (Duke), 3 (NC State) in the preseason conference poll.
  • Seth Davis breaks down Indiana‘s prospects.
  • Katz explains why Calipari opted to stay in Memphis over taking the NC State job two years ago.
  • DeCourcy gives USC some love for tough scheduling (even though they’re going to lose all those games), while he rates crosstown rival UCLA #1 in his poll.
  • STF gets us up to speed on what the mid-major conferences are bringing to the table this year.
  • SEC Hoops:TGTBTD chooses Jamont Gordon over Chris Lofton for SEC POY.   Interesting…
  • Final thought – believe it or not, the Colorado Lady Buffaloes actually have a Brittany Spears and a Whitney Houston on their squad this season.   Coke dealers in Boulder are already calculating their profits.

Pray for Pastor Greg, Pastor Michael, and Kristi and the staff and leaders of the Malibu Presbyterian Church as their church building was lost today in the Malibu fires.