Articles by Special to The Grapevine

Falling down Duncan Hunter’s rabbit hole

CONGRESSMAN DEFENDS BUNNY TRAVEL There is nothing better than a ridiculous scandal involving a public person to excite journalists. Congressman Duncan Hunter has provided journalists a perfect whipping boy for the past several months over improper charges to Hunter’s campaign funds. The ongoing revelations have triggered months of investigate reporting aided by the findings of the Federal Election Commission. Last week the most absurd disclosure of…


PH Miracle Dr. Robert Young strikes again

The dying officer treated for cancer with baking soda The father of the alkaline diet, Robert O Young, is hailed as an inspiration by one of the UK’s most popular food writers, Natasha Corrett, but he faces a jail sentence for practising medicine without a licence. One patient who believed he could cure her cancer, British Army officer Naima Houder-Mohammed, paid thousands of dollars for…


Protest Trump? Places to start this week.

Opportunities in San Marcos and San Diego to Protest Trump’s Inauguration By Doug Porter — San Diego Free Press San Diego gets it. Lots of us are unhappy with the incoming administration. There are community gatherings. There are rallies. There are protest marches. There are teach-ins. There are press conferences. There is art. There are even dance parties. People from all walks of life find are…


Special snowflake Hunter can’t take HS art

Congressman Duncan Hunter was too — too delicate to walk by a painting made by a high school kid and go about his day. He had to take it down. He unscrewed the bolts and removed it. Hunter would say that he did this because of a moral imperative, because he feels that it’s wrong to dehumanize and demean law enforcement officers. Ironically, many progressive-…


Seaside Courier (of Encinitas) bites the dust

Another attempt to bring local independent news in the form of a print newspaper failed at Encinitas as the 2-year-old Seaside Courier announced that’s all folks, quietly fading into the dust bin of history last month. Thomas K. Arnold, who also has contributed stories to The Escondido Grapevine reported the news to another Grapevine friend Roman Koenig, who worked with us at North County Times…


Issa, Hunter vote to give away federal lands

San Diego Republicans Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa joined with the House Majority in voting for a rules change would allow giveaway of federal lands to states, local governments, or tribes. Potentially, such giveaways could include national parks such as Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. It also encompasses all other public lands; here in San Diego these include Cleveland National Forest, federal recreation areas and…



VC dispute: Michael O’Connor v. David Ross

(Editor’s Note: Michael O’Connor is a retired 32-year Escondido firefighter who is a Valley Center Community Planning Group member. The dispute concerns reporting about the defeated Measure B in the November 2016 election that would have allowed the Lilac Hills Ranch housing project to be built in rural Bonsall and Valley Center. ) I responded to a story written by editor David Ross of the Valley Center Roadrunner. Seems…


Heaven’s Gate and other ‘cult’ architecture

Religions have inspired some of the great architecture of human history. Reims Cathedral. The Blue Mosque. Angkor Wat. But what about those faiths that aren’t exactly major? Or are controversial? Or aren’t religions at all? Since many fringe religious groups tend not to mesh well with society, they often take to the country. In the process, they sometimes employ innovative planning strategies, as is the…


Hunter under fire from House Ethics panel

The House Ethics Committee said Thursday it is continuing an investigation into possible ethics violations by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., following an inquiry launched by the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. The ethics panel did not disclose the nature of the investigation, but a Washington-based watchdog group filed a complaint last spring alleging that Hunter improperly used campaign funds to pay for tens of thousands…