My one-sided correspondence with Tulare Congressman Devin Nunes

Congressman Devin Nunes – in the above quote – insists he will not be intimidated, so he states via fundraising emails he has been sending me – I’m not even a constituent – that magically pop up on my home computer screen. Nunes and his campaign have identified an obscure email I once set up through an Apple account, and now this long-lost email has returned to haunt me. I’ve been inundated by Mr. Nunes’ hapless pleas for money, appeals designed to boost efforts in his ongoing fight the against the “deep state,” a clandestine liberal cabal apparently “hard at work” attempting to take him down.

“From the Fake News book tours to the pathetic Russia Hoax narrative, the radical left is doing everything that they can to take me down,” Nunes confidently declares in his latest electronic missive. “The Russia hoax was invented by the Democrats and the fake news media in order to slander President Trump and other conservatives who have uncovered the deep state.”

Congressman Nunes’ email seems to be seriously devoid of any proof that a “deep state” or the mainstream media are employing “bogus” investigations as weapons against him. Since the House of Representatives turned blue in November, Mr. Nunes has all but vanished from public discussion. We don’t hear much about the congressman anymore.

Like most unwanted emails, there is always a disclaimer, allowing the reader to discontinue the bothersome messages. But the fact is, I’ve been enjoying them.

“Liberals are absolutely furious,” he states in his latest message. “They’re (presumably those loathsome liberals) rushing in millions against me. They want to keep me silent, but I will not be intimidated. I will continue to have zero-tolerance for deceit and corruption. But I can’t fight this battle alone.”

Then, of course, comes the infamous “pitch,” and it’s all about the money, stupid!

“George (yes my first name is George), our end of month fundraising deadline is coming up in just a few days, and I really need you to stand with me.”

There always seems to be a looming deadline, necessitating an emergency of sorts. Either the money comes in today, or all is lost: The government will fall, and quite likely the wall won’t get built even though Mexico is paying for it.

Rush in $25 immediately!

Rush in $50 immediately!

Rush in $100 immediately!

Rush in $250 immediately!

“George (there’s that name again), the message of the radical left is clear: there’s a price to be paid for exposing the liberal political establishment. That’s why the Democrats have already made me a top target in 2020. We cannot let the resistance win. We must stand firm and fight for what’s right.”

A donor can even make an automatic monthly contribution. Just click on the convenient button, and it takes you to a money site allowing a donor to select anything from $10 to $2,800. They also ask for billing information.

I’m not going to give him any money, but I’d like to give him some advice, but unfortunately, the fundraising email offers no response mechanism. You either give the money, delete the email, and consider writing a boring column that probably few people will read.

Unfortunately, I have no recourse but to delete the email. No questions please, trust me and send the money.

If I were to respond, I might recommend that Mr. Nunes spend more time representing his district rather than raising money to expose an invisible “liberal political establishment” intent on employing a “deep state” to “take” Mr. Nunes down.

Mr. Nunes will accept my money – if I were to send him some – but while he might take it, he declines to accept any criticism or unwanted suggestions.

“Show me the money!”

California’s Safest Cities?

Did Lemoore make California’s Safest Cities list, a compilation put together by SafeHome.org? Well, no it didn’t, but not because it’s not a safe community. It just didn’t make the cut based on population.

SafeHome.org, this week, released the 101 Safest Cities in America using 2018 FBI data from 13,366 law enforcement agencies of cities with populations of 50,000 or more. Since Lemoore’s population is currently hovering around 26,000, it didn’t make the list.

However, we tend to believe, regardless of any statistics, Lemoore is one of the safest communities in the Valley based on the strength of its local government, Volunteer Fire Department, and of course a strong police department.

SafeHome.org also released the 25 safest cities in California, and leading the list is No. 1 Yorba Linda, 2. Aliso Viejo, 3. Laguna Niguel, 4. Mission Viejo, and no. 5 Lake Forest. There were no Valley cities listed in the top 75. I suppose the absence of any Valley community in the top 75, sends some kind of message.

Like SafeHome.org, SafeWise, an independent review site, ranks safe cities, using the same FBI statistics, but doesn’t limit cities by population. Again, Lemoore or any Valley city failed to make the top 50. Leading its list was Danville, with a population of 45,088 and a violent crime rate per 1,000 people of .35 percent.

Interestingly enough, another essential figure factored into these statistics is median income. Nearly all of the “safe” cities hare relatively high median incomes.

Well, maybe next year.