I heard Erma Hosmer came in the other day and asked if I was still around, if I had retired.

I interviewed Erma in 2013.

No, retirement is not on the immediate horizon. But I must say Sept. 12 is a milestone for me. It marks my 30th anniversary at the Courier.

That could possibly be a record in newspapers in the county.

By the way, somebody let Chris Murphy of the Modesto View know that Ceres has a newspaper. It's conspicuously missing from a list of newspapers in the county and surrounding area which he included in his recent publication.

In fact he missed the Waterford paper as well.

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We really have another radical sitting in our state Attorney General's office. But then again we should be used to the stream of political correctness coming from that office. Xavier Becerra is cut from the same cloth as Kamala Harris who was unfortunately sent to the U.S. Senate to represent the Golden State.

Last week Becerra joined 18 state attorneys general in filing a friend-of-the-court brief supporting transgender "rights" in the U.S. Supreme Court in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. That is the case where a gender-confused female student sued for the right to be using the boy's bathroom. Becerra suggests that by not allowing gender-confused students access to the opposite gender's bathroom "causes real and significant harm" to them and "denies students equal access to educational opportunities."

Educational opportunities are being denied? We are only talking about limiting bathroom access to what it's been forever.

It's just another supreme example of lies from the left.

The Williams Institute suggests that transgender are only 0.3 percent of the U.S. population. So that means 99.7 percent of us need to rearrange our lives to accommodate a very slim minority. And I thought we made policy for the good of the majority, not for the few.

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My grandson plays basketball for the Ross Middle School in Hughson. On Thursday evening they won the championship for playing 16 consecutive undefeated games. They prevailed against Hickman, winning something like 58-51.

Across the gym floor I noticed the Hickman mascot flag hanging. They have been the Hickman Warriors and have been for decades. An American Indian is their mascot.

Good for Hickman, which is still a pretty conservative little community east of Hughson. As you know, the pansy left in Sacramento has outlawed the use of warriors as sports team mascots among state colleges and universities because it might offend somebody. Thus, no red skins either. Too offensive.

Guess we had better change the words of "Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World." "Red and yellow black and white, they are precious in his sight..." You see, the color differences might offend some.

The left always seems concerned about offending somebody - except people of Christian faith. Why do I say that? Remember back in 2012 when Chic-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy told The Baptist Press that his faith does not condone homosexuality? Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel - a disciple of Obama - went on the PC attack. Emanuel hinted he'd like to block the restaurant from expanding in his city. What did Mr. Cathy say that was so offensive to the left? This: "We are very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that." Emanuel responded by saying the company did not espouse Chicago values. You know, the values reflective of a place where 762 murders took place in 2016, 3,550 shooting incidents and 4,331 shooting victims. That city. Seems like it could use a little of the old fashioned values if you were to ask me but what do I know?

I'm not about offending people but let's have a little common sense in our country. Celebrating American Indians as sports mascots is not racist. There were Indian warriors, just as there were braves and chiefs. Naming a team the warriors does not connote any racism just as naming a team after pirates and buccaneers does not connote any racism toward white people.

This day of political correctness was foretold long ago. The prophet Isaiah pegged it right in the eighth century B.C. down when he wrote: "They say that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter."

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I saw a clothing rack of women's tops the other day that bore the words: "I look better naked."

Thanks for letting us all know.

The tops appeared to be for only slender women as there were no larger sizes.

Here's the thing. Guys know it already so they don't need a tease to turn them on more. Poet Kahlil Gibran once said: "Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful."

These clothes were probably created by the same people who decided to put words like "SEXY" across the butt of workout clothes for women.

Classless, indeed.

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Speaking of classlessness, you have to be very careful on social media.

When President Trump celebrated the life of slain Navy seal William "Ryan" Owens by inviting his widow Carryn Owens to his State of the Union address, some rabid left-winger in Daniel Grilo tweeted this tasteless remark: "Sorry Owens' wife, you're not helping yourself or your husband's memory by standing there and clapping like an idiot. Trump just used you."

Grilo, a Hillary Clinton campaign worker and employee of Liberty Advisor Group, prompted a firestorm with his remark. Within a few minutes Grilo responded with an apology: "Folks, clearly a poorly worded tweet. I apologize to all and am deeply moved by all your comments. Thank you for your feedback."

His backpeddling gained no traction. The company fired him, saying Grilo's comments "were inconsistent with the company's values and the unyielding respect it has for the members of our Nation's Armed Forces."

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Conservatives are often called mean spirited. But what about liberals? Say it isn't so. After I posted positive comments on social media about former President Bush coming out with a book featuring his paintings and stories of our wounded veterans, came this comment from a Karen Husted: "GW Bush, torturer/liar in chief, who put them in harms way, now pretending to care. Despicable. Just more selling the war machine to the ignorant."

Wow. Really?

* * * * * *

Orchard Supply Hardware in Modesto has some of their closest parking stalls labeled for clean air vehicles. I don't drive an electric vehicle but I still park in them. After all, my car is newer and burns clean so I have a clean air vehicle.

Just saying.

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Did you notice how the Democrats couldn't even stand and applaud when President Trump said he was going to create more jobs in America? That's kind of sad, isn't it. I heard that those Democrats did not want any hint they are supportive of Trump because it will be played against them in their liberal districts.

I'm from the era of Mayberry when it wasn't offensive to promote America.

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"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." These words were spoken by Martin Luther King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. He wanted us to quit looking at race and promote everyone as a person.

It would be nice - and King would agree - if we quit dicing up our population by ethnic appeals. For example, MJC is hosting its Hispanic Education Conference on March 18. What would be wrong with dropping the word Hispanic and make it an Education Conference for all, period? By labeling it as Hispanic are we only encouraging Latinos to attend this promotion of college? Are non-Hispanic students attend?

I know the MJC response would be, of course, all may come.

Well, then why call it a Hispanic event?

(I can hear the tolerant educrats at MJC speaking to me now). Well, Jeff, you ignorant right-wing sap, it's because we're trying to promote college attendance among Latino students because statistically they attend college in smaller percentages.

It's all fine and good that you want to see a greater college participation level among Hispanics but are you saying Latinos won't attend a college promotion event unless the word Hispanic appears in the title?

And wait a minute, if all ethnicities are welcome, why are you being exclusive when one of your workshops is called "Latinos in Health: Issues and Careers"? That kind of gives the impression the event is only for Latinos.

Understand what I mean?

It's everywhere though. We have a Black Congressional Caucus because the Democratic Congressional Caucus is not enough.

It's not good enough that Modesto has a Chamber of Commerce. Someone feels the need to have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Last time I checked, all businesses operate on the same color: Green.

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The politics of division is the way those on the left fight in politics. They identify a group, offer them help, but then implement laws and regulations that insure they continue to need it. Anyone opposed to their scheme is labeled a bigot or a racist.

Thus, if you believe in dealing strongly with illegal immigrants on the basis that it robs citizens and legal immigrants of jobs and wage earning power, you're anti-immigrant. Of course the logic of calling someone who supports legal immigration an anti-immigrant when they don't support illegal immigration is illogical, but it's never been about logic with liberals, only feelings.

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The politics are so frustrating here in California that it might be worth a move to Texas. But I hear so many Californians are flocking to Austin that they are threatening to make that town a bastion of liberalism.

But why should I have to move? After all, Barbra Streisand, Raven Symone, Miley Cyrus, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Al Sharpton, Amy Schumer, Bryan Cranston and Chelsea Handler did not move to Canada as they promised if Trump was elected. I knew they were idle threats. They are not people of their word.

Do you have any feedback about this column? Let Jeff know by emailing him at jeffb@cerescourier.com. He will read it, promise.