'Shock' tactics 

It took the SLO County Board of Supervisors hours to approve its consent agenda on July 9—a conversation that usually doesn't continue until 1:30 p.m. on meeting day.

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Why? Voter fraud hour, for one. But it was more than one hour. It was a voter fraud conniption fit spread over the morning. The conspiracy has stayed strong since Donald Trump lost his election. What were the highlights this time?

Well, SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano needed approval of a contract with Dominion Voting Systems to purchase voting equipment, software licenses, etc. Dominion! Is that a bad word in Republican circles? Or just über-conservative ones? Boy howdy, did it rile up the crazies more than public comment on items not on the agenda did. Wowee!

It got so far under the skin of our favorite fraudster and recount request master Darcia Stebbens that she spoke about Dominion and voter fraud during both public comment on the consent agenda and public comment on items not on the agenda. Although, she didn't refer to Dominion by name during the latter bitch sesh—she did say she wasn't going to name the voting-machines-that-should-not-be-named because it was on the agenda. Don't let the rules get you down, Darcia!

Question: What if Trump wins this election (let's admit it, sleepy Joe isn't doing Democrats any favors)? Will you stop your bellyaching? Or will you continue to opine about the ghosts in the machine and ballot tampering and whatever else you've got dreamed up about our election system, even though you watched and paid for a recount that didn't do anything but affirm that the original count was good?

I hope he does lose, and you nutty naggers continue to bellyache—but really? We've got a choice between an aging apple with memory lapses and a bad orange with felonies. WTF, America?

First District Supervisor John Peschong made a really good show of "pinning" Cano down on his conservative compatriots' behalf, questioning her about the decisions she made to go with Dominion and why—ultimately voting to give Cano what she asked for.

You know what else waylaid the consent agenda?

A Pride Month proclamation. One that was delayed by special request so 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding could weigh in! In a show of civil chivalry that the Oceano Community Services District should take a page from, current chair 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold acquiesced—even though it surely meant the proclamation would stand! And that is not what she wanted!

I say a lot of not nice things about you, Debbie, but I've never said you weren't nice. OCSD board President Charles Varni and former President Karen White need to watch the supes more closely instead of penning angry letters against perceived enemies, slights, and policy decisions and proposals. People can agree to disagree without making ad hominem attacks. It makes for an entertaining opinion section, but the soap opera dramatics are a bit much!

The staged theatrics from Arroyo Grande dweller Gaea Powell regarding the Pride proclamation were also a bit much. She showed a video as part of her tirade against the LGBTQ-plus community, one produced by Tenet Media: "a network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues."

"Fearless voices live here," Tenet's website tagline states, ignoring the irony inherent in the statement.

Is it really unorthodox to film Pride celebrations in San Francisco and question naked revelers about how they feel about being nude in front of children or does that feed the ultraorthodox talking points of an outspoken segment of the Republican Party?

The video was so long that a second speaker took up his time by showing more of the video. Naked hour at the Board of Supes? Nice! But not everyone thought so.

Meeting attendees gasped audibly, and one lady begged them to stop.

"I don't want to watch this," she said.

"Close your eyes!" another woman responded.

Spicy!

Powell also highlighted graphic illustrations of sexual positions, which Paulding objected to, calling it "pornography."

"Those are in our schools!" a man shouted. "Maybe you should remove them there first."

What in the actual fuck is happening?

Conspiracy theories running amok during actual government meetings, devolving into yelling. It's wilder than Bay to Breakers—a race in San Francisco where you can also see naked adults. FYI, if you go to any big festival in San Francisco, the likelihood of seeing naked people is high. It's not a big secret. Duh!

Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson called the presentation a "shock" tactic. Duh! Powell took back to the mic during not-on-the-agenda public comment to yell at supervisors for trying to silence her.

If Powell were a Zoombomber instead of an in-person attendee, would she have been cut off? In Arroyo Grande, possibly. In Atascadero, probably not. In SLO, it wouldn't have been allowed.

As far as SLO County Counsel Rita Neal was concerned, the material Powell presented was offensive but could still be protected by the First Amendment

The county, she said, is looking into "what regulations or procedures the county can impose that limit the reach of offensive speech ... and are consistent with the First Amendment."

Once she figures it out, she should put out the clarion call. It's a hot topic. Δ

The Shredder is patently offensive every week. Send your thoughts to [email protected].