Wading In

March 29, 2012 | Fairfield Daily Republic What can we do about the shootings? by Kelvin Wade It’s gotten so you’re afraid to open the paper in the morning for fear of more violence and shooting. Monday saw a teenager shot in the vicinity of East Tabor and Dover avenues. Suisun City also had a shooting. These acts aren’t something that’s going away anytime soon. And it’s everyone’s problem. Growing up in Fairfield, there was a list of places you just stayed away from: Grande Circle, San Marco Street, Phoenix Drive, Crowley Lane and the PACE area, among others. Every city has areas that the locals know to avoid. But it’s naïve of us to think that crime is going to be confined to those areas. It affects everyone. Last week, the day after a community meeting at Fairview Elementary on local violence, a man was shot in the chest in the parking lot of Chuck E. Cheese’s, the victim of an alleged drug deal gone bad. Lots of people take their kids to Chuck E. Cheese’s for birthday parties. Just ...

March 22, 2012 | Fairfield Daily Republic Fairfield doesn’t need vigilantes by Kelvin Wade The Feb. 26 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., by a 28-year-old self-appointed neighborhood protector, George Zimmerman, has caused national outrage. Zimmerman pursued the unarmed teenager as the boy talked to his girlfriend on his cellphone while walking home through Zimmerman’s neighborhood. A 911 operator told Zimmerman that he didn’t need to pursue the young man. A confrontation ensued and Zimmerman shot the teen dead. While the unfolding story centers on race, vigilantism and allegations of cold-blooded murder, there are some lessons here for Fairfield given our recent spate of violence. This year isn’t three months old and already Fairfield seems like Tombstone. Just last month, the Daily Republic trumpeted 2011′s lower crime rate. Last year, violent crime fell 14 percent while property crimes dipped 11.4 percent from 2010 levels. But by the time that headline appeared,...

March 15, 2012 | Fairfield Daily Republic Saying goodbye to a Beagle Brother by Kelvin Wade As I stroked his soft furry face, I nodded and the vet injected an anesthetic into my beagle Tyson’s front right paw. He was wrapped in a blanket in the arms of the veterinary assistant. I continued petting him and stroking him and telling him he was a good boy. He grew slack. His eyes slowly closed and his regal head bowed. The vet injected a second solution that stopped Tyson’s heart in a matter of seconds. I was surprised by how fast it was. One moment he was there with us in a tiny antiseptic room and the next, all life had fled him. The vet asked if I’d like to spend a few moments with him and at first I said yes. But then I said no. I didn’t want my final memories to be me holding his lifeless body. I whispered, “Take him.” And as I left, I was moved that the vet herself was crying. My girlfriend Cathi sat sobbing outside the small office door with Tyson’s brother Theo, who barked the angu...

March 08, 2012 | Daily Republic Rush issues non-apology apology by Kelvin Wade A political firestorm has engulfed right-wing radio blowhard Rush Limbaugh after he referred to a coed last week as a “slut” and a “prostitute” for wanting insurers to cover contraception. But Rush actually went beyond that. He went on the attack repeatedly using the words for three days. He said her parents should be ashamed of her. He leeringly said he wanted her to post sex videos online so he could watch. He asked who paid for her condoms in junior high. It’s a truly disgusting performance. Most right-wing politicians remained silent and the few that spoke out did so gingerly. The bulk of conservative response went to pointing out transgressions of the political left. This is kindergarten stuff. You don’t excuse bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. As conservative pundit David Frum wrote in a recent column, “Most fundamentally, why the impulse to counter one outrageous stunt by rummaging throu...

March 01, 2012 | Fairfield Daily Republic Gin ‘n’ juice and the Cable Guy? by Kelvin Wade When I saw the headline that rapper Snoop Dogg and comedian Larry the Cable Guy were headlining this year’s Dixon May Fair, I thought for a moment, “what eclectic booking!” After all, legendary rock band Van Halen is touring with legendary R&B band Kool and the Gang. But no, they will not be performing together. I guess that would be like holding the BET Awards at a NASCAR event. Now it’s true that it will most likely be a “Spare the Air” day when Snoop performs at the fair. Contact highs will come free with fair admission. Snoop Dogg is a connoisseur of the chronic, having been busted multiple times for possession of marijuana, with the latest this past January in Texas when his tour bus was searched. I can see where some fairgoers would be horrified by the inclusion of a rap artist like Snoop. To them, the thought of Snoop Dogg in Dixon is like Occupy Oakland attending a silent candlelight v...