KB24 and The Ride Not Taken

“KB24 and ‘The Road Ride Not Taken’”

By

Anonymous 1

On the morning of January 26, 2020 I awoke at 2:30 am, cleaned up and headed out to my weekend gig - Uber driving in SoCal. I decided to drive southbound on PCH, then parked on the perimeter of Corona Del Mar in order be available for driving orders, rides, from Newport to Pelican Hill. 

At approximately 3:45, I received a Lyft order substantially further south, in Dana Point, Ritz Carlton that I knew was a long destination ride, and was worth my driving 12 miles south for the pickup. $100+ order, I rightly presumed. I headed south on PCH, passing by Pelican Hill Resort on the left, winding through Laguna, Dana Point and arriving to the Ritz.

I loaded up the passengers, 3 woman executives, who were in fact, going to LAX. ; ) We made it to the airport in record time for a Sunday morning with little traffic heading northbound on the 405. 

After dropping off the passengers, and being so early in morning, I often, only on the weekends given the light traffic conditions, drive up the Sepulveda pass on the 405, northbound, to the Ventura freeway.  I do this to find early morning rides, passengers, in the Valley that may be in need of an early morning ride LAX, which they often do.

This endeavor entails driving northbound on the 405, to the 101, Ventura Freeway, then northbound to Calabasas and Las Vergenes Road.  One can be guaranteed a decent fare from Calabasas, which is where I then turn on the Uber filter with an LAX destination in the coordinates

I then take the Ventura FWY northbound and exit at Las Vergenes Road, stop briefly at Jack In Box, then pass Lost Hills Rd, onward to the half way point between the 101 Freeway on the Valley side and Malibu, Pepperdine, on the Coast side of the Santa Monica mountains.  Resting halfway between both points, Calabasas and Malibu, allows me to receive passenger orders from either Malibu, or Calabasas to Ventura county line for LAX bound travelers.

I park at the roadside turnoff vista overlooking the valley, by the camping ground sign and Santa Monica National Recreation park entrance.  It was a misty morning, with clouds and intermittent light rain, but not much. But it was somewat cloudy and there were drifting deep fog banks about the southern part of the valley and distant southbound hills.

At approximately 6:20 am I received a ride order for LAX, 6 miles up on Piuma Road. It was road I’d not taken before, but I was soon to find out. Piuma Road is a very narrow 2 lane mountainous road that rises high, and narrowly, into the Santa Monica/Malibu Mountains, as much as 1000 ft I presume since my ears did equalize on the way.  While just a quarter of mile heading up to my pickup point, I encountered intermittent fog, and slowed my assent to the points and elements unknown.  Due to the escalating degree of fog, I could not immediately appreciate the cliffs along side of Piuma, until after a pause in the weather conditions, I was able to peek over the edge and it was a slightly sobering, drop. At some points further on my drive up, and break in visibility conditions, I estimated there must have been at least a breathtaking 4-600 ft drop. It was slightly unnerving. Besides that, the road was extremely winding and sharp with NASTY hairpin turns. After appreciating the drop cliff-side, I slowed and prayed, as the deep fog I began to encounter allowed only a cars length or two at the most of visibility ahead. I prayed drivers coming down the hill appreciated the danger I came to appreciate as I continued up.  I couldn’t drive any more than 5 to 8 miles an hour 2 or 3 miles into the drive since the fog was incredibly thick, roads very wet, the drop on the right, and one small mistake would have been catastrophic. I’m from southern California and I know fog, and on a scale of 1-10, this fog was definitely an 10+.

I decided to slow even more since this was a road I did not know, but respected. I tried to cancel the pick up and turn around, but my app was going in and out of sync with service due reception problems. I tried again to cancel but it wouldn’t register. Reception just was permitting so I decided to continue on. 

I kept driving, very slowly, and within a few minutes, mile or two, I think I was approximately 3.5 miles into the pick up when unexpectedly, everything opened up. The road rose above the fog and cloud line, sunlight shocked my vision, with Mount Baldy shining away in the distance above all. Finally, I could breath. It was a welcoming, forgiving sight. Visibility up there, must have been a good 60 + miles, if not more. The road was dry, much better driving conditions, but the clouds and fog lingering below, carpeted the atmosphere for miles, a haunting baseline of fate and circumstances I’d come to appreciate days, weeks thereafter. That view and carpet of puffy, but ominous, clouds.

I finally arrived at my pickup, notwithstanding continued data sync issues with phone due to poor reception and being above the necessary towers. Had I cancelled the ride earlier on into the pickup, I’d likely have been able to connect and get out of driving up that dangerous road, but something else kept me on, and I needed to get the fare, $$, to LAX and move on in my day.

I picked up 6 guys with too many bags. They’d been trying to get a driver for over an hour as other drivers kept cancelling. I was apparently their 4 attempt in getting a ride.  When I saw their bags I told them I wouldn’t be able to fit them all, and one was complaining about the cancellations and that he had a 7:20 boarding, American Airlines. It was 6:40. I allowed them to cram their bags and backpacks in, they thanked me, and we proceeded down the “oceanside” road to PCH. I wasn’t about to chance back down the road I’d just been.  Not a problem! TG there was an alternate route.

I was able to get my passengers to LAX T4 by 7:15 and the kids, substantially hung over after their AirBnb bachelor party night before, were delighted to no end with my driving capabilities. Their $ 20 tip was appreciated.  Not bad for a 35 min or so ride time. How could any of us known what was to become of this memorable, but sad morning, as we all went off in our different directions, flights to SF and Fla, and my share-rides back on the 405.

I was never much of a basketball fan. I have mostly been a baseball, football, tennis and sometimes, hockey fan and participant.  I knew so little of Kobe Bryant and the genius path in basketball he celebrated and championed.  I know so different know, after that fateful Sunday morning and circumstances I came to experience.

When I traveled southbound on PCH early that morning towards Dana Point at approximately 3:45 am, I’d passed, just a stones throw away on the left - Pelican Hill, where Bryant and family live, and were perhaps, gently sleeping.. Their next day, yet to begin.

Later that morning, when heading out on 101/Ventura FWY freeway to Calabasas from LAX, then westbound on Los Vergenes and Lost Hills Road, I passed another, stones throw away from fate, and the Kobe incident location, crash site. It was 3 hours prior to unfortunate matters that would occur that morning.

Those combined circumstances have been slightly haunting for me over the weeks since, but watching the memorial today, I felt I needed to convey the oddity of circumstances that played out, so I presume, that morning.  The drive up, above the appreciable fog and clouds, the cloudy walkway to Mt. Baldy, and the immediacy of danger those cliffs presented while traveling up that road. (Expert driver rated suggested, definitely not intermediate.) To have experienced that sight, above the clouds, that these unfortunate aircraft travelers likely experienced later that morning, that I was appreciating some hours prior, remains vivid in my memory. 

What is ever more ironic, oddly coincidental and troubling, is the fact that I lost my father to a helicopter crash when I was only nine. 

Opening Statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor – October 22, 2019

Opening Statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor – October 22, 2019 (search friendly pdf) ; )

Giuliani Cohen LLP or Cellmates? (Pt 1)

Giuliani Cohen LLP or Cellmates? (Pt 1)

Could Rudy Guiliani and Michael Cohen be having tea soon? Watching movies?

While lawyer Michael Cohen has become a household name among DC insiders and deep-dive survivors of politics, he was the lawyer that unfortunately fell under the spell of $$ and power - the
 the Trump fever, some years back, while yet another shadow appears to be "leaning in" to the darkened space he resides now.

Cohen hails from the “old school” days of Queens, NY. It was when John Gotti paparazzi dazzle met the front page of the Daily News or NY Post often, if not weekly, with some new insights, footnotes, on the “family.”  It was the days of old, that was a familiar thread of the social order, hierarchy and standing from Hunts Point, Howards Beach to Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn, where the rubber met the road for the working, union man. They got the job done, come hell or high water!

And like most astute lawyers starting out in practice, Cohen would want to move beyond the likes of a small town borough/county like Queens (108.1 mi²/pop. 2.3m) and small time local business practices like the TLC, Taxi Limousine Commission. They’d likely have researched their client “wish list” of up and coming stars to represent. Yet, back then - all that Cohen had was his local newspapers, Newsday or the Post, to see “who” was trending.  Popular among emerging markets was one name, “Trump.” The real estate -“bon vivant”. 

And like any astute lawyer on the move for an aspiring client wish list, they’d likely have researched their “wish-list” client’s lawyers, and Roy Cohn’s name must have appeared on their radar.  Albeit, Cohen was good.  To a point. Just the sounding comparison of names, Cohen and Cohn may have had an odd subconscious earmark of validity to Trump.  Perhaps, a MAYA moment (“Most Advance. Yet Acceptable”) moment, one might think.

While Cohen courted Trumps MAYA interest in his early days representing the Don of NYC real estate, Rudy Giuliani had been making a big footprint in criminal prosecutions as the US attorney in the Southern District of New York. 

It was during this time throughout the late 1980s while Trump was flipping millions to his return in the NYC real estate market in the late 80’s, from high rise condo properties to door man building co-ops, Giuliani was across town taking on the mob.  Giuliani was engaged in one of the biggest criminal case prosecutions in decades, if not history, comparable to that of the Al Capone hearings in Chicago during the 1930s. Yet then, 1988, and armed with the RICO act (signed into law by Richard Nixon, 1970) Giuliani was determined to uncouple the means for which all financial mechanisms could filter their way into the East Coast Mafia markets, from Chicago to New York, by attempting to govern the means for which the East Coast “Families” could manage their income revenues. Rudy wanted to appoint a Trustee to the mob's bank of choice, "The US Teamster’s Pension Fund."

Historically speaking, the US Teamster Pension Fund was the basis for which many have come to know the term, “What happens in Vegas. Stays in Vegas.”  Many a marriage today, among so much more, would not exist today if not “there but for the grace of” the US Teamster’s Pension Fund existed. Thank you Al Pacino and Marlon Brando, for “The Godfather.”  

In the late 80’s, under the RICO act, Giuliani took on the basis of how the RICO act was prosecuted and went to the root of how and where all the “root” cases, from the Fulton Street Fish Market to Capone in Chicago, to countless other cases that under the RICO act would constitute a “RICO” crime and one name, entity, repeatedly jumped out, showed up on countless FBI reports. Members or mention of activity related to the US Teamsters Pension Fund. The paper trail was voluminous over the decades leading up to the time.

As such, Giuliani, under the theory of the RICO act, was able to research and dig up every criminal prosecution that involved every crime and perps name that involved, albeit “tagged” in todays terminology, a felony, interstate crime and/or “tag,” US Teamsters, or the like, US Teamster’s Pension Fund.  It was a wide net, and the USA SDNY was a treasure trove of information regarding crime family records, prosecutions reaching back as far as the 1930s, Chicago to the union docks of Brooklyn, Giuliani and his team became ministers of knowledge on organized crime, unlike any other entity in criminal forensic history past.

As such, one cannot underestimate the extent of knowledge base Rudy Giuliani benefitted back then, from the Teamster case, knowledge reaching far beyond the scope of what Roy Cohn or Michael Cohen could have ever come in contact. Rudy Giuliani presently representing POTUS wasn't some fluke of circumstances that suddenly converged. It was a seed long in waiting, for Giuliani's  "knowledge base" to be tapped, championed, uncorked and celebrated like a fine wine of decades past. 

Liberal Media Promotions Have Their Costs

Liberal Media Promotions Have Their Costs

While MSNBC to CNN, to countless other liberal media outlets (Syndicate Democrats (SynDems)), join hands and rant, if not pander to this recent development, the blame game of this unfortunate circumstance for two illegal immigrants, a father and daughter drowning on the Rio Grande, they can't, and shouldn’t - blame Trump. They can try, but the price will soon come back to haunt them, not unlike the HRC 16 wooden nickels of times past.  All the while, as US liberal media syndicates, SynDems, wave the freedom flag for those in need abroad, these media giant producers or journalist, thousands of miles away in their Madison Ave towers, who conceivably never stepped foot in any bordering US or Mexico state, but just the same “waive in” and fuel these immigrants, albeit into the fire, from afar. And why? For the sake of “firewood,” that others pay the price for, in their righteous burn, then conveniently and mindlessly pound the war drums to the tune: “Blame Trump.” Promotions have their cost, particularly when lives are lost. 

These SynDems are fueling the potential demise for the DNC 2020, again, no different than 2016, in their taking Trump “cause bait” and indulging Trump’s side line wars such as “harsh immigration tactics;” they need to review Obama’s record.  Yet, savvy republican strategist have wisely implemented these emotional “wars,” in an effort to derail, and engage, the DNC base and their focus, only to dumbfound all into side-track liberal interest that were manufactured, viscerally, solely for the purpose to have the base distracted and foiled, if not constantly disoriented.  And most of all, the liberal media, SynDems, takes the bait handsomely, due to the ink these issues and causes generate, the instant gratification thereof, and discussion platforms it fuels, while program guests interns’ phones are ringing off the hook with state legislature(s) PR interns that want to chime in, air-time, for the sake of ratings despite the demise they are creating for their base, or constituents, and particularly – “swing voters.”

CJN concurs with Washington Monthly’s Martin Longman June 25^th assessment  on Charlie Sykes “Dear Democrats, Here’s How to Guarantee Trump’s Reelection.” And with emphasis added, Longman makes clear:

“.. and I don’t normally take advice from Charlie Sykes, but he’s not wrong about this:

“…Trump could still win reelection, because he has one essential dynamic working in his favor: You.

Trump’s numbers are unmovable, but yours are not. He doesn’t need to win this thing; he needs for you to lose it. There are millions of swing voters who regard Trump as an abomination but might vote for him again if they think you are scarier, more extreme, dangerous, or just annoyingly out of touch.”

Whose fault would Dems point to, had the drowned father, Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez, instead – decided to embrace his child as a shield then rob a bank in Mexico City, only to perish in a hail of hundreds of Federale bullets? Comparatively, who would the SynDems blame if the father decided to parachute strap his daughter to his side, then jump from a plane to US fields, and parachute fail on descent from 1500 feet?  It is immeasurable the extent to what the DNC base can be distracted by smartly placed distractions the like of Stephen Miller or Bannon can divine, while confused swing voter heads are “scratched to the bone.” Who then, bloody fingers and all, reach for their pocket book – or toss a coin, and mistakenly assert, “heads you win, tails I lose,” and default to economic determinations and benefits thereto as a sole basis for how they vote. Not idealistic in the least. Cold hard facts only. And I’m sorry, “You’re Fired” DNC, and it's   "TheirStory," not "HerStory," or history, but the "Buck Stops Here." 

SynDems are a very, very powerful entity in today’s media dissemination.  But lets not forget! In the wee hours of Wednesday November 9, 2016, with bedside celebratory champaign and ice still half full, many a NY times and Washington Post writer to editor desk was awoken from their HRC dream-dance to rewrite their headlines and columns, albeit the “real story,” and not HerStory!  And what has happened since? Likely enough ink, in times forward among historians and political science academics to scholars, perhaps enough ink that could pale the thousands of volumes and pages written to date on the French and American Revolutions combined. That’s how bad they had it! But was it enough? Promotions have their costs.

Whats App Hacked. Gee. I guess were not in Kansas anymore mom.

Have you ever wondered why your bank app should need to have access, "permissions," for your "microphone?" Hello. Not unlike 99.9% of all google apps you download for androids. It's a task, but check your phone system preferences for "permissions," and let the sleeper beware.

No Silver Lining Here

Silver Car Rental at LAX - 9010 Bellanca Ave has joined in on the bottom feeding fest opportunity at the LAX Uber and Lyft driver’s expense.  Silver has partnered with Costco and other retailers that offer car rental programs through their retail memberships.

Silver CEO has cut to the app driver savings chase in realizing the overhead cost for them to pay drivers, van costs, insurance, parking, workman’s compensation, taxes among other things, when they can contract into a corporate account with Lyft or Uber. Silver is now having Uber/Lyft drivers “shuttle” their customers to the lot to pick up rental cars. What genius! And what a corporate savings it is for Silver, while “you” the driver(s) get a token $ 2.50 to shuttle these LAX arriving passengers.  This is why Uber and Lyft bottom feeding LAX, LA and OC regional rates have to change to at least a 6.00 min fare.  That these passengers paying upwards of 500 to 3000 dollars in air fare to come to Cali should be shuttled, as if they’re some privileged class, by drivers who are compensated $ 2.50 or 3.00 a ride, substantially less than what public transportation costs are for city bus or train, is blatant exploitation.

And that LA city counsel and mayor are conveniently blind to this and other like practices, widely known to them, that Lyft and Uber engages suggest they are deaf, dumb and blind. These are circumstances made known to all the powers that be in LA and have clearly been adjudicated on the East Coast, NYC. Perhaps their IRA/Retirement/Personal investment programs include investments within these companies, and if so – resolve the conflict of interest. Otherwise, they have to get off their hands, FB or whatever page they are on and get real about the reality of how far Lyft and Uber are exploiting this bottom feeding fest at the expense of hard working drivers throughout the southland. “Which Side Are You On?”

Otherwise, why not chime in!  Who needs city school buses and drivers when you can UberX/Lyft students to school, door to door from home to homeroom on the exploitations Uber and Lyft enjoy, just like Silver.  What’s next, EBT card program compensation for travel?  When are the lights finally going to come on for these local city officials. Put your ears, eyes and conscience to the ink and review compensation measures implemented in NYC and get on the page, else disclose or resolve the conflict of interest(s). “Which Side Are You On?”

A Democracy In Constitutional Crisis at the Crossroads

“If You Can Keep It!”
Benjamin Franklin

Our government has reach the point of a “Constitutional Crisis,” as the US Attorney General William Barr today abdicated his allegiance and oath to the constitution for Trump’s “Cross-Roads” Art of the Deal depths.  On May 1, while republicans among the Senate Judiciary Committee mentioned Hillary Clinton so many times you’d think she was at the water cooler that morning, while dodging the premise of hearings that day. Yet, AG Barr spoke like a smart disciple, right off the production line of Roy Cohn defendants from days past. Cohn was the Trump and family lawyer of choice for many years through the 1970’s and times further.  

Most surprising is that Barr dodges questions from democrat senators with distinguishable elegance using the ole – “I don’t recall,” among others, a common day criminal response that many a Roy Cohn client/defendant used in criminal defense cases that included countless dockets about the NY federal and state criminal courts and mafia affiliates like Salerno, Gotti, Galante and more.  That the US AG echoes chants comparable to the likes of these mentioned “gangsters,” spikes to the bone of how far our democracy and this presidency has descended.  One can only imagine how much further down it can go that “crossroads.” That Barr, given his failure answer transparently and dodge congressional hearings and inquiry today, May 2, is a turning point. That he should have unexpectedly find some conscience within himself the next 24 hours and resign, should not come as a surprise to some. The US AG has lost his way in the wave of #45’s lunacy and may well a la moment be taking time off to speak to a spiritual adviser in hopes of finding his way back from his crossroad deal gone mad.

The Muller Report clearly shows that countless elbow rubbing warm fuzzy business and election interest were operating in 2016, without a doubt. And that little can be discerned between either business and/or election interest, and that they were so cleverly co-mingled, just the very fact that expressions of these sort are of interest to US citizens advocating for a US presidential candidate to a hostile foreign adversary, and the timeline suggested, should chime a bell that even the dead, deaf and blind could hear from the afterlife, if not salvation!

Have we hit a breaking point?  The lower decks have flooded for the republicans’ ship in spite of the reality that the Muller Report reflects, yet countless of them are martini handed, Badminton matches and whistling Dixie in 3 parts topside.  Nonetheless, they have to choose now, which side they are on.  The constitution or Trump’s Art of the Deal Cross-Roads fire sale.  As supposedly noted in history by one of our great founding fathers, one Mrs. Power of Philadelphia purportedly asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.”