Wagner at the scholarship ceremony

A reader alerted us to the existence of this video of comments by SOCCCD Board President Don Wagner a week ago at the Saddleback College scholarship awards ceremony. I've been told that Wagner's remarks angered some in attendance.



As you know, Trustee Wagner is a member--indeed, he is on the board--of Education Alliance. Among the planks of the EA platform is the following:

All educational processes necessarily impart values of some sort to their pupils. We reject the fallacy that it is possible to educate children in a "value neutral" manner. It is no more possible to govern schools in a "value neutral" manner than it is to govern an entire nation or state in such a manner. Likewise, just as it is not possible to govern an entire nation or state that is in anarchy, it is not possible to govern a school system or a class that is in anarchy and where discipline is neither maintained nor enforced.

We do not support teaching religion in our schools. Liberal defenders of an education system devoid of values charge that the teaching of values is somehow synonymous with teaching religion. We believe that this is a ridiculous [sic] and is designed by the defenders of the educational status quo in an attempt to deflect attention from their own failures.

Slippin' an' slidin' down Live Oak Cyn. Rd.

Just got back from Live Oak Canyon Rd. Right now, it’s impassable, unless you’re a lunatic with a silver Chrysler 300. Man! I was surfin’! Even our little private road (Lambrose Canyon, not far from Hamilton Trail) is essentially impassable. It's clear that, had anyone been driving across our creek at the wrong moment, they would have been swept down the canyon. Really. I'm talking maybe 3-4 feet of water coming down fast.

I made it maybe a mile and a half down the road (i.e., about a mile and a half above O’Neill Park) before I ran into some heavy equipment that wouldn’t let me pass. Dang!

I took a few pics. I do hope they tell the story.




The Reb just called. They are letting people into their homes in Modjeska Canyon to collect a few things and then evacuate again. She has no idea where her family will be staying tonight. I offered my place, but that won't work. They won't let anybody in, near as I can tell.

The OC Reg just posted some pictures:

Downpour in the mountains

Whoa! About two hours ago, it started hailing out here in Trabuco Canyon (in Orange County)! Then came lots of thunder, followed by rain—as in "cats 'n' dogs." A half hour later, I started getting those automatic calls from the county telling me to vamoose. The voice mentioned most of the canyons out here, including Trabuco and Modjeska.

Then Rebel Girl, who's at Irvine Valley College, called me to report that KNX is saying that there's some kind of mudslide down by Cook's corner and the road is closed. (Cook's is a mile from my place, which is 3 miles above O'Neill Park.)

Sheesh!

UPDATE: Rebel Girl just called me. There's a mandatory evacuation of Modjeska Canyon, of course, but she's at the community center along Santiago Canyon (between Modjeska and Silverado canyons) with Limber Lou. She's safe and sound, but they won't let her into Modjeska Cyn. where her home is.

A neighbor just informed me that, at Cook's Corner, the police are preventing entry into Live Oak Canyon (my location, across from Hamilton Trail). Live Oak Road continues down to Trabuco Canyon and then crosses Trabuco Creek before climbing up to Rancho Santa Margarita. The neighbor told me that the creek crossing has "one hundred feet of mud" across it. I'm pretty sure he didn't mean one hundred feet deep. 100 feet along the road, I figure. Impassible (right now) for ordinary vehicles.

So, for now, I'm boxed in. If I leave via Cook's Corner, they won't let me back in, so I'm sittin' tight. (There's no threat of mudslides where I live; the winter fires stopped just short of my area, at Hamilton Trail.)

I'll keep you posted!

3:00: The Register reports that "Torrential rain falling in the canyon areas this afternoon has created mud and debris flows with unconfirmed reports that people are trapped in homes and at a park."

Evidently, the first reports of mud flows started at about 12:30.

There also are unconfirmed reports of people trapped in O'Neill Regional Park near Trabuco Canyon, and two dozen damaged homes in Modjeska Canyon.

Heavy rainfall has caused debris and mud flows in Santiago, Modjeska and Williams canyons and closed many streets, officials reported. The intersection of Santiago Canyon Road and Modjeska Canyon Road is blocked, and from Fire Station No. 18 to the top of Modjeska grade is covered in mud, Blawn said.

Cook's Corner also is shut down and there is no access to the canyons from the southern El Toro area, Blawn said.

"Fire crews were forced to back out of cook's corner because debris was coming down," Blawn said. Cook's Corner restaurant is flooded and water is ankle-deep.

Near as I can tell, there've been no reports of anybody getting hurt.

3:10:
The Times now reports that

At Cook's Corner, about 12 people were eating burgers and omelets when water and mud poured into the restaurant at about 12:15 p.m.

"It's super bad," said Rhonda Palmeri, manager of the biker bar, which is at the juncture of Santiago Canyon and Live Oak Canyon roads. "It's all mud. The bar is all flooded out and we're trying to get the patrons out."

Rebel Girl just called. While we spoke, a woman who had just left Modjeska Canyon reported that there’s mud and boulders behind Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary (at the end of the canyon). Not sure what to make of that.

I'm heading down to the creek, see what's up. Be back soon.

10:10ish, to be exact

.....Did you read, in the OC Register, about the UFO sighting in Irvine the other day? (Westpark UFO Sighting.)
.....(To see the 54-second video, which is pretty cool, go to Video)
.....A family saw it Monday night. Here’s mom’s account:

.....Irvine Westpark, Monday, May 19, 2008. It was 9:45ish pm to be exact. My nine year old started thumping the bedroom wall frantically calling. The drama queen didn’t catch my attention except for the panic tone in her voice. “It’s a UFO,” she yelled.
..... Laughter erupted from the other bedrooms of supposedly sleeping children. I went to squelch the activity by quickly identifying whatever it was she was morphing into a visiting out of space alien. But as I looked out her bedroom window there was no easy explanation.
.....I watched mesmerized as a circle of lights hovered just north on the horizon. The object was high above streetlights, too low for an airplane. Not gliding not turning just hovering. Couldn’t be a kite or a glider. The object indeed was Unidentifiable, an Unidentified Flying Object.
.....The UFO made a buzzing noise as it suddenly zipped towards us. Then rose upward banking to the west. I still couldn’t define the outline or shape. My older girls chattered as they watched from the next bedroom window. With their camera flashing trying to catch a picture. Only getting a smear of light. My husband finally got out of bed to place proper identity to the orb and return peace to the house. He too however, looked from the window in silence. “What is it Dad?” No answer. He wandered barefoot out into the back yard, my nine year old traipsing behind him. “If it shines down a light beam on someone’s house were in trouble,” a sister teased.
.....My husband found binoculars and came back upstairs hoping for a clear view and a clear explanation. We watched, guessed. Tossed ideas traded humor as our UFO turned circles, went vertical, horizontal and hovered. It’s bright circular lights taking new shapes from different angles. Then our UFO quietly descended back to earth some where near mortal Main Street. It was 10:10ish to be exact. The scene ended. We wandered back to bed. Still wondering.

.....Again, to see the video, go to Video