Why Just One Person?

I sat in on the Community Meeting for the Butte Fire that Cal Fire presented last night, Monday, September 21, 2015. I asked where the "media table" was, and there wasn't one set up.

Didn't matter. I sat on the sidelines, behind Mike Mohler, Public Information Officer for Cal Fire. Set up my laptop on the back of a chair, tried to get some Wifi. Nope. "The Call" (formerly Calvary Chapel of Amador) didn't have a tidbit of WiFi. So I shut down my laptop and listened...

Listening, watching, observing. What I took away from that meeting was that there was an entire community of people wanting answers, but just a handful willing to step up and really, truly ask. Kathleen Harmon of the Amador Community Foundation asked a great question, about the acronym of SPI: Sierra Pacific Industries. So, she asked, and thanks for clarifying. What does that mean to anyone? What part does SPI play in this ballgame?

Loved the comments about COMMUNICATIONS. Who knew anything about "Code Red" in Amador County, and what to do when such a thing would be issued...and, who would even know in rural Amador? Another woman stood up and said that her service (AT&T) wasn't effective. I stood up and addressed the issue of local media/communications. Granted, I was dressed in my t-shirt brandishing: "A Yawn Is A Silent Scream for Coffee". Well, it's true. I needed a good espresso right about then...

Next to me sat a sweet [black] lady who lost her home to the fires on the Calaveras side. She showed me photos of her loss...the only thing left standing was a burnt shed. I hugged her so many times throughout the evening. Truth be told...we both sat silently, agreeing to what Cal Fire, the Sheriff's Dept, and all emergency personnel had to say. No one is going to argue with Measure M now, right? Audience claps all around. Then she leaned over to me and whispered: "What about the American Red Cross?"

I bowed my head. She was right.

I tapped Mike on the shoulder, hoping he would say something about the American Red Cross. So much was said about the Jackson Rancheria helping, but...did anyone recognize the tireless hours of the Red Cross volunteers? A GLOBAL community organization that steps in, no matter where on Planet Earth?

I heard kudos to Jim Guidi of KVGC Radio. Oh man! If anyone deserves such, it's Jim. Tirelessly giving updates...dedicated, committed to an AM station with heart. Jim, you deserve a medal.

My thoughts through everything that has happened these past few weeks are:

WHY JUST ONE PERSON?

Why just Jim? Why just me? Why just the one employee that was mentioned re: Volcano Communications, who couldn't disclose who it was that took photos up the mountain? Why just Bill LaVallie, who worked tirelessly for a once-weekly, Friday newspaper that constructed a print edition that was published well over many, MANY days after the fire even started?

So many can joke around about social networking and Community News, But...how many of us responded when no one else would? How many of us with cell phones responded when there were NO reporters and NO government voices.

YOU did, Amador County! You get the credit for stepping up to the plate. Laughton Ranch. Operation Care. ACART...and those of you who took donations to all the stations. YOU, the PEOPLE of Amador County need to be commended!

I'm getting on board with the Facebook group, Thank You, Mark Zuckerberg, because community news isn't about politics. It's about connecting, communicating between friends and family. You can paint a pretty picture out there, voice your politics, say what you're supposed to say, but...in the long run, no one really cares about the politics in a disastrous situation. And for Brian Oneto to point blame to the community was ghastly. For John Plasse to say that Amador County "dodged a bullet" means that Calaveras County received the one you claim to have dodged.

Me? I'll just continue to be a party of one, as I have for eight years...because I know for a fact that the communities of Amador County are smarter than you. That is why I walked out on you last night. That is why I can't bear your politics. That is why your constituents deserve more than the mouth service you drivel.

You think you "dodged a bullet"?

Carol Harper, Editor
Amador Community News