By Samuel Strait – July 2, 2018 -After a two week pause from the flurry talking with Mr. Jesse Davis on my Sunday radio program, Conversations with Sam. 3 to 4 pm on KFUG, I received a phone call from Mr. Davis wishing to once again appear with me to continue our previous and entertaining conversation about the world of Jesse Davis here in Del Norte County.  For those of you who are expecting the conversation to be dominated by the recent recalls initiated by Mr. Davis, you will no doubt be sorely disappointed.

Following the entertainment of listening to the program prior to my own, where high school’s recent graduate, Brayden Hatch, held forth on various local topics with the tilt of an up and coming socialist in the making, I reflected back to my own high school days wondering why politics or political theory was such an inconsequential part of my world at the time.  I suppose much of it had to do with the fact that leaving home and going to college was going to be my next step in life and politics seemed, at least to me, to be for a time when I had accumulated much more in the way of life’s experiences.  It is fine to be well versed in political theory while young, only to discover an entirely different universe when that same political theory plays out in real life.  For some it becomes a valuable life lesson, while others cling to that political theory with a fervor, all the while claiming that they are listening but really are not.

I digress.  Much to my surprise, when the three o’clock hour came and went, Mr. Davis had not appeared, not something that I was expecting, but the show must go on.  For the bulk of the remainder of my time on the air, I spoke of things that interest me about Del Norte County life, our problems, and miss-steps in solving the same.   I and my audience voyaged through the Japan trip, Last Chance Grade, the hospital, the harbor, and many other stops in between.  Then to my delight I was informed that Mr. Davis had been delayed by work and would appear momentarily.  As such, he duly appeared ready to rehash his involvement with the current recalls and was surprised when I indicated that we would trespass on the following hour of scheduled music and learn his thoughts on a broader range of issues within the County.

Many of his perceptions of how certain things work in Del Norte County come from his association with local acquaintances and are in a growth stage much as many people experience having only lived in a new place for a relatively short period of time.  He acknowledged that his circle of friends was relatively limited as raising a family and operating a business is a full time occupation.  One thing that became clear, despite his insistence to the contrary, the commercial farming and its related ordinances for cannabis is upper most in his mind and does have an effect on how he views the performance of government in general.  I sensed an extreme form of frustration from Mr. Davis over the dilatory nature of the way our local Board has moved towards formulating ordinances for commercial farming and sale of cannabis and the sense that it should have been both more timely and straight forward.  When I briefly suggested that his recall effort may produce an effect of a permanent ban on commercial cannabis due to changes in representation on the board there was a distinct change in demeanor, something I had only witnessed in BOS meetings when Mr. Davis’ deeply held convictions were stirred to the surface. Gone was the controlled and reasoned approach to a topic, replaced by another that was not to be denied it’s prize.   While he must have been aware that any change to the current board, should it happen, was likely to take place after the County Board of Supervisors had approved a local cannabis ordinance, he proceeded to lay out his plan of attack on the Board should his expectations be frustrated.

I have no particular quarrel with this approach to solving a problem, and as I stated before on the previous program in which I interviewed Mr. Davis, in spite of my opinion that the recall option was being abused by Mr. Davis, it should go forward for all four contests to it’s bitter end.  I do not feel that this will change much in the end other than continuing down a path that has plagued local government for the best part of the last thirty years.  Cannabis on a commercial level in Del Norte County will present new issues to add to those we are already confronting. Despite Mr. Davis’s optimism that things will only get better, I have to say that the continuing revival of divisiveness is not the path towards that end.   It was as always a benign and pleasant exchange of ideas which may be found in its entirety on KFUG’s growing list of podcasts.

Confronting the fact that a growing government and its efforts to be beneficial to all those that are governed is very seldom a path to complete success.   Some people have the tools and skills to be relatively independent of the need for large bureaucracies, others do not.  It is for this reason that we elect people to represent us, not lead us, in the hopes that their decisions will benefit a bulk of those governed, most certainly not all.  We do not have that in Del Norte County and are unlikely to have that any time soon.  I know that I have learned from this time with Mr. Davis and can only hope that he has as well.  One last thing I have to offer to both Mr. Davis and Mr. Hatch of whom I spoke of at the beginning of this piece, it is really important that you actually cultivate listening to other view points and not give lip service to that very important skill.  It seems to have the effect of dramatically reducing the level of divisiveness  in the world when it takes place.  It is also important to use what you have heard to examine your own philosophies to avoid the pitfalls of life.