Californians’ strange history with voter initiatives continues on Tuesday, as we will decide on 12 measures that range in subject matter from teen abortions and the size of animal cages to renewable energy goals and the proper tools to battle gangs.

A recent Register commentary presented reasons for keeping Guy Kay on Napa County’s Parks & Open Space District. I agree with those reasons. Guy Kay has been instrumental to the initiation and progress of the parks district in protecting and providing access to Napa County’s watershed lands.

This is an open letter to my fellow District 5 voters asking them not to be fooled by the disingenuous attempts of a handful of ambitious politicians and their supporters to manufacture a pseudo-scandal and whose motives have little to do with the best interests of our communities. In regards to the supervisor race between Gary Simpson and Keith Caldwell, there are only a few relevant questions that District 5 voters need to consider:

The County Council of the Napa County Green Party notes that several California initiatives are being packaged as being “green” or good for the environment.

We read with some concern your editorial endorsement of John McCain in this year’s presidential race. You have received many letters passionate in their support or opposition to the Register’s position. This is just one more, but for the record what concerned us was not so much the points you made about McCain’s service to country, patriotism or policy positions. It had to do with some of the points listed below:

As a lifelong Republican, it may come as no surprise that I cannot vote for an extreme left-wing candidate like Obama. The National Journal’s annual rating of 99 key votes in 2007 confirmed Obama’s voting record as the most liberal in the entire Senate (even more liberal than that of democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders). Obama’s exotic childhood and exposure to foreign influences led to his admitted quest of self-introspection and discovery. What did he find? We don’t really know since none of his college records or writings have been released. We do know as a lawyer he finds the U.S. Constitution to be “fundamentally flawed” and that it “is a charter of negative liberties.” He desires a constitution that doesn’t “promote” the general welfare; he wants it to “provide” it. His governing ideology is an overpowering desire for “redistributive change.” This redistribution of wealth will not come from the courts, but from “community organizing” (i.e., ACORN). Given his radical ideology, Obama’s association with unreformed terrorist Bill Ayers takes on a much more ominous tone.

Just some observations from the outside. I am not a District 5 resident. I do know both candidates who are running for supervisor. I have worked with both men over the last 21 years and like them both.

I want to thank and congratulate you for your articles on our presidential candidates. I was impressed by your coverage of the issues and not the typical demonization or sainthood image painting occurring in most of the media today. I have been reading with some concern, but humor, the responses decrying your choice of McCain. Their editorials say a lot about the character of our analytical thinking today.

“And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

With all the rhetoric regarding this election, there are some issues that are generic to all Americans. Among these is the issue about marriage. I encourage all voting Americans to earnestly seek the truth and vote.

I am a 68-year-old white male. I was born in Massachusetts. My father was a carpenter and my mother worked as a cook in a small hospital. My parents were bankrupt and divorced when I was a teenager. I went into the U.S. Navy after high school and served as an enlisted man from 1960 to 1969, repairing communications equipment, including electronic encoding and decoding devices. I held a top secret security clearance. As a 26-year-old first class petty officer, I ran the shop that kept all the equipment running, at SPINTCOM, Kunia, a new facility which was the relay point for special intelligence communications to and from the Pacific.

When Walter Mondale, the Democratic nominee for U.S. president, faced his 1984 opponent in a debate and said, “He won’t tell you that he will do it, but I will. I will raise your taxes,” he might as well have added, “and with that statement I hereby hand this election to my opponent, Ronald Reagan.”

The election is entering its final days, and the news stations are already on full time election coverage. I have never seen anything like it, people are very tuned in to this election like never before in my lifetime.

It is almost humourous to see Rush getting mad at his own party over McCain's poor showing. From his Web site (I edited liberally, you have to read the whole thing by clicking here):

Why do I dislike so many political partisans? Let me count the ways.

Recently I was looking at all the comments after an article on Obama’s tax plan, and noting how over the top the Republican commenters were about Obama. I thought of writing something sarcastic, like "Obama is going to use his Marxist social engineering policies to support domestic terrorism through an oppressive tax code on teeny tiny business owners while promoting both Muslim terrorism and black liberation theology, thereby installing Bill Ayers as the Secretary of Defense yada yada yada...."

My topic is family dinners. I could use some more ideas for quick, healthy, and inexpensive dinners.

My fourth grade son has an animal report due on Wednesday. I helped him to set a schedule so that all he has to do tonight is to put the pictures he printed on the pages and he is done. No 10 pm on Tuesday and we are still at it! Sometimes being a parent is great.

My 23 month old son is hitting the terrible twos a tad early. Everything is “NO” and “MINE” right now. When I won’t let him do what he wants to do (like pull out all of the DVDs), mostly I say “not for babies” and pull him away (he doesn’t like it, but oh well). Well sometimes, I feel my blood pressure rising and say “NO” myself (not exactly good modeling) and come on too strong; he cries and sometimes I cry.  Sometimes being a parent makes me crazy.

Barack Obama chose Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate ... what do you think of the choice?

(Editor's note: The comments on this crashed about 9:30 a.m Friday, right after McCain's announcement. We were able to rebuild most but not all of the comments)