Opinion

May 21, 2013 — I will always have the deepest respect for the men and women who serve in the United States military sacrificing time away from their families, missing life's momentous occasions, serving in dangerous areas and sometimes paying the ultimate price with their lives.

I will be the first to admit, I take the freedom and life we enjoy for granted, forgetting that men and women have died for our safety and liberty.  A recent stop at the Pearl Harbor Memorial reminded me of the sacrifices made by those who enlist in the military and the impact of that visit still sits in my soul. 

In April, I traveled to Hawaii to visit a long-time friend who lives on the island of Oahu. As soon as I knew I was going, Pearl Harbor was immediately added to the top of my list of things to see. When people ask what the best part of the trip was, the memorial immediately comes to mind. It is one thing to read about Japan's attack on Dec. 7, 1941 — "A date that will live in infamy" — in the books,  but entirely another to see it.

May 21, 2013 — I still have hair on my head as I write this, but by the time you read this I’ll be bald as a cue ball.

I’ve been twisting and turning this shaved head thing around in my brain for about a month now, and it feels as if I’ve already jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and I’m waiting to slip down into the icy water below my feet. I’m just holding on for the splash, and it’s too late to turn back now.

Writing about this in the newspaper for the past few weeks just adds to the public curiosity. It seems nearly everywhere I go people want to talk about the event, and that’s a good thing. A lot of people think it’s really funny — the idea of me with a shaved head. One fellow shavee even said, “We’ll both be ugly!”

May 21, 2013 — It’s true. Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of the summer season with the year’s first three-day weekend, barbecues, the Coca Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 — long dubbed the greatest spectacle in racing.

While the weekend provides a wonderful opportunity for family get-togethers and family fun as well as an extra day off work, it also provides an opportunity for each of us toremember and reflect upon the real reason for the holiday — a time to pause and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country and our freedom.

May 14, 2013 — Last Monday the California Supreme Court ruled city and county governments could ban medical marijuana dispensaries despite the state law allowing citizens with medical marijuana recommendations from their doctors that they may use the drug for relief of their symptoms.

The state’s high court upheld trial court and appellate court decisions supporting the city of Riverside’s ban of medical marijuana dispensaries it believed were a nuisance.

But the case before the supreme court isn’t about medical marijuana per se — it’s about a local government’s ability to control land use through zoning laws. According to the state laws people may use medical marijuana if they receive a recommendation from the doctor. But the court ruled while the medical marijuana proposition allows patients to use the drug, cities and counties retain the right to make zoning decisions for their communities.