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12/29
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December 22nd, 2011
Volume 2, Number 35
Common Ground: The Year in Rear-View
taken of his comatose son in the hospital bed was the day this paper changed. We had to decide whether to remain a coupon paper with interesting tidbits or report to you the news. We realized that we could not withhold such a large truth.
by Mark Stouffer hat a difference a year makes. Last year at this time the Fullertonian was just a sleepy little business promo paper that didn’t report any news. The Coyote Hills development was on a six-month moratorium and that was the most controversial issue in front of the city council. And we thought those coyote hills people were loud!
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A year ago people were still guessing when we would get out of the recession, a year and a half after we were told we had seen the worst of it. Now we are told it’s the new normal. Eden Cafe had just opened on Wilshire. Today they have developed a healthy clientele. That should be reassuring to the newly opened Night Owl Cafe on Harbor and Wilshire and hopefully they will be doing as well or better in a year from now. A year ago Steve Jobs was still alive. It may have taken him dying for many people to realize the immense size of the product he and a generation of computer geeks have loosed upon the world. Jobs was the individual most involved with the production and development of the first mass-produced personal computer. Without that we would not have a world wide web and the Fullertonian website. It is hard to overstate the debt that a desktop publisher and website blogger owes to that
Others made the other decision and the Police Department has been living with the consequences of reporting false news such as that the officers suffered broken bones, an error that we uncovered here at the Fullertonian.
man (and we are a PC shop!). Perhaps that is why the most conspicuous, unusual, and often repeated phrase on comments commemorating his death was “Thank you”. The internet is still a baby but it’s creators won’t be here forever. In March we saw another wonderful, inspiring and ground-breaking play at the Monkey Wrench Collective called “West Side Terri” which won many awards. Now the Monkey Wrench Collective is gone.
battle (the court case) but times are tough for business and now they are having a goingout-of-business sale. In May people were marching to protest education cuts. Osama bin Laden was killed and almost every newscaster reported the death of “Obama” at least once.
In March we reported on OC Weekly Editor Gustavo Arellano’s lecture series at the Fullerton Library. Now he busies himself outing Fullerton KKK members of the past.
Then, just as we were reporting on the success of our city’s annual Independence Day celebrations, the biggest story of the year happened. It was the story that would dominate the rest of the year and divide the town along a line that few had seen or suspected when the tragic beating of Kelly Thomas occurred at the hands of six Fullerton Police officers.
In May we were still reporting on the Naughty Teddy’s battle with city hall. They won the
When we met with Kelly’s father two days after the beating and saw the picture he had
SOPA: An Open Letter
An Open Letter To Our Representatives: The Case Against The Stop Online Piracy Act by Ed Carrasco and Alex Stouffer
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e try not to get too political at the Fullertonian, but when politicians take a crack at the very systems and principles on which this publication is founded it is hard (and pointless) to stay neutral. We don’t believe you have to be disconnected to be objective. The Stop Online Piracy Act sounds from its label like it will just stop software pirates. But judging a new law by it’s label can be like judging a book by it’s cover, which we hear is something to be avoided. It will render, by law, censorship authority to countless private service providers. It is just one attack against this new open messaging tool we call the internet. Following is the first salvo in a series of battles we call the War Against the Web. Dear Reps. Royce and Sanchez: As you may know, Congress will be voting on the Stop Online Piracy Act early next year sponsored by your colleague Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas). While we understand that internet piracy costs the United States economy millions of jobs and billions in revenue, this law does more harm than good, especially to local business owners and residents who use the Internet in perfectly legal ways.
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If the language of the bill stands, it would give government entities the power to shut down website they see as infringing on copyrights and force them to shut down. The overview of the bill states that a “intellectual property right holder” could force a
shutdown by “a written notification identifying the site to related payment network providers and Internet advertising services requiring such entities to forward the notification and suspend their services to such an identified site unless the site’s owner, operator, or domain name registrant, upon receiving the forwarded notification, provides a counter notification explaining that it is not dedicated to engaging in specified violations.” The vague language of the bill would put small businesses that use the Internet such as The Fullertonian at the cross-hairs of arbitrary unbridled and policing. The internet is still a young technology yet already private solutions are being developed to combat the constant threat of online piracy. SOPA is not an innovative solution to this new problem but a knee-jerk throw-back to a system of coercion where service providers become responsible for the content created by their clients. There have always been people who seek government authority to silence the voices of their opponents. Although many battles have been fought over this issue we have not yet relegated it to the dust bin of history. We need YOU to prevent the institutionalization of prior restraint in a place where it has never existed before: The internet. We urge you to not support this bill and let us find ways to tackle the problem of internet piracy and rogue sites without sacrificing freedom and innovation.
Others at the city were counseled to reveal nothing and wait for the process that handles such cases to take it’s course. But this does not work for long when you have an interested and engaged populace, which Fullerton has. It is a question that still divides the town: reveal the truth and deal with what happened, or close your eyes and your mouth and hope it goes away. As a news-reporting agency we come down decisively on the side of openness, clarity, transparency and vision. Someone once said, “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.” So maybe if we let the light in and look around the sunshine of our new vision will thaw the ice that has sent frozen cracks into the core of our civil society. Maybe that will renew warmer relations as we peer into a brighter dawn of a New Year. As we remember the past year, and the things that happened, we can start to understand where we are as we plan our path into the future. Fullerton’s future depends on it.
Man Arrested In Interrupted Burglary Case After Pursuit by Ed Carrasco
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olice arrested a man for residential burglary on December 27th after a vehicle pursuit that started in Fullerton and ended in La Mirada. Two suspects are still outstanding. Fullerton Police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said that at about 12:30pm, a 12-year-old home alone called the police after three suspects entered his house, thinking no one was home. The suspects first knocked on the door, and the 12-year-old didn’t respond because he didn’t know the people. When it appeared no one was home, the suspects went into the back yard, and entered from the rear. With the 12-year-old still on the line with dispatchers, officers responded with lights and sirens to the residence. The suspects fled in their car just as officers arrived. Officers began chasing the suspects, who collided with a car at the intersection of Gilbert and Malvern. The suspects continued westbound on Malvern, eventually crashing into a fire
hydrant in La Mirada, near La Mirada Blvd. and Imperial Hwy. Officers’ set-up a perimeter to search for the suspects, and eventually located Deon William Oden, 23, from Los Angeles. Oden was booked at the Fullerton Jail for burglary, felony evading, felony hit & run, and other charges. “This method of residential burglary, sometimes referred to as “knockknock bandits”, is becoming more common. We want to remind residents that depending upon the situation, advising someone who is at your door that you are home without opening the door is something people should consider”, said Fullerton Police Captain Dan Hughes. The two other suspects are still outstanding. They are described as an African American male and female in their 30’s.
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Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Detective Michael Hines at (714) 773-5765, or the front desk of the Fullerton Police Department at (714) 738-6716.
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Hunger Artists Presents: The Muses
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xploring the relationships of women, this ensemble piece will leave you laughing, crying and wanting to hug your best friend. Exploring the relationships of women, this ensemble piece will leave you laughing, crying and wanting to hug your best friend. This show tackles the some of most touching and difficult situations that women face. Originating from conversations that took place in a dressing room, The Muses is the brainchild of Jill Johnson. This play presents the moments that women share in their mutual experiences as mothers, daughters and as individuals. Where The Vagina Monologues is made up of a varying number of monologues read by a varying number of women, The Muses is a mix of monologues and dialogue proving that women all feel insecurity, Joy and pain.
Divorce Support Modifications Restraining Orders Real Estates Matters Will & Trusts Power of Attorney Eviction
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young couple, Peter and Rita, meet at a party and hit it off. After a short time they decide to make the big leap, but what they didn’t plan for was what happends at their wedding. In what could be describe as a “Twilight Zone” moment leaves Peter trying to put the couple’s lives back on track again.
Mark Stouffer Developer/ Editor admin@thefullertonian.com Twitter: @XGenX (714) 900-3710 Alex Stouffer Marketer/ Editor alex@thefullertonian.com Twitter: @Stouff3r
Ed Carrasco Writer/ Photographer Twitter: @edfcarrasco Morgan MacLauglin Writer Max Wehner Writer/ Illustrator Fullerton Printing 315 North Lemon Street (714) 870-7500
Judgement Enforcement Small Claims to $7,500 Incorporation LLC Partnership Agreements Name Change
Orange County LDA #0123, Exp. 4/12
The play was commissioned and originally staged by South Coast Repertory in January 1988. Later went onto Broadway and was made into a feature film starring Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan. news@thefullertonian.com
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