Perky Karie Reuther slimed dishonestly (again, as ever) in the front page feature article of today's Californian which describes the growing outrage welling up in Temecula about the planned invasion by the rogue company Granite Construction, on our beautiful, proud, new, upscale community:

 She chirps:

"A chiropractor answering air-quality questions seems kind of ridiculous."

SAY WHAT, KARIE?!

How DARE you refer to the respected South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), which came en mass from Riverside on June 26th to speak to the citizens and officials of Temecula at the Library, as a kind of "ridiculous chiropractor." They are respected, highly educated scientists, some with PhDs, in an entirely different class of professional expertise, not to mention common decency and character, from you and your ever misleading sidekick, Gary Johnson.

That June 26th meeting focused on the horrendous health effects on people from diesel fume microscopic particulates, which Granite's 1,400 daily mining trucks and heavy mining machinery in the quarry pit would inflict on the 300,000 citizens of Temecula-Murrieta-Fallbrook-Bonsal-Rainbow.

  It's surprising that the Californian article never mentioned the fact that much of last night's discussion at the SOS meeting was on those deadly diesel fume particulates which SCAQMD alerted us to, at the 6/26 meeting. Even more surprising is that Penny Newman, who came all the way from Riverside for last night's meeting, was described merely as a community activist "who organized her Mira Loma community against toxic pollution seven years ago".

OOOPS!: non trivial omitted detail: Penny Newman is the Executive Director of the powerful, and respected Riverside CCAEJ (Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice). That should have been mentioned that, no? But we're entirely used to Granite's Kool-Aid spin and deceptions, so why not pile on another, right?

 Another new whopper in the Californian article: "Granite Construction officials have said nothing of the sort will happen" (refers to release of deadly microscopic, razor sharp silica particles into the strong prevailing Pacific Ocean wind blowing into our valley). Yet many PowerPoint slides last night showed exactly those huge dust clouds emanating from Corona quarries. Corona residents have mentioned this several times in the letters to the editor this year.

 Just a brief review of some of Granite's ongoing whoppers, for those of you who have recently joined this battle:

1. Temecula is just a little dusty no-count mobile home park populated by a few hundred stupid, impecunious yokels. They expect waste dumps and quarries. Actually, proud progressive, growing dynamic Temecula is #1 in wealth out of 79 towns in California of 75,000-125,000 people. We aspire to become a Silicon Valley, not a silica valley. We are wine country, not mine country, with our famous 18 beautiful tourist destination wineries.

2. Dynamite blasting is silent, and harmless. Resulting rockslides on nearby highways never happen. (Google that lie.) OUCH! Glad I don't have to drive to San Diego daily on I-15!

3. High powered mercury vapor night lights are invisible, or at least are prettier than dark, starry night skies.

4. Asphalt and cement plants are odorless.

5. Granite's quiet little Indio plant is just like the raucous, toxic monster they want to put in our neighborhood. That's like saying that a pussycat is just like a Bengal tiger. This little canard was used as a scam to lull people who took the Indio tour, to believe that the Liberty Quarry was just another harmless if ugly, Indio sand pit.

6. "Only 200 people" showed up at the March 18th SOS Birdsall Park Rally, Granite's Gary Johnson said, but newspapers estimated 750-1,500 showed up. I bet more people start showing up in inconvenient (for Granite) places after last night.

7. Riverside County will gain $2,000,000 in annual taxes from Granite's Liberty Quarry. Hmmmm: Just before my speech to the Riverside Supervisors last month, one of the Supervisors voiced his fear of what declining property values will do to the county's 2008 real estate tax revenue. Good thinking. It's estimated by real estate experts that the crash in Temecula-Murrieta-Fallbrook-Bonsall-Rainbow real estate values caused by the quarry ($BILLIONS) will far exceed the insulting little tip Granite promises Riverside County. Granite, never forget, makes $40,000,000 a year for 75 years ($3 Billion total) at the communities' and even, Riverside County's expense.

So:

Smart move Gary and Karie for scurrying away in your cowardly fashion at the last minute from the long planned quarry information meeting, and spinning it to the Californian that all those mean old nasty homeowners planned to "hijack the session". That's Granitespeak for airing some truth, for a change. The bright sunshine of truth you can't handle. Sponsored golf tournaments, high-powered intimidating law firms, and all your other other politically strategic largesse won't stand up to the fury of the ultimate stakeholders in this battle: angry citizens who will suffer from your invasion of their beloved community.

 Again, how DARE you slime the SCAQMD!!

Last night near the end of the meeting, an enraged young father and homeowner stood up. I won't repeat what he said. The Californian missed it. (Or did they?)

The ever classy, courteous, kind, and respected Kathleen Hamilton, President of SOS, had to calm him down.

Could this be a straw in the wind for the next phase? Looks like we're not the pushovers Granite thought, and you'll be dealing more with your enraged victims instead of behind the scenes power people who can be manipulated and bought. 

Nick Biddle

Temecula, CA

PS: Some of us are tired of dealing with you, Gary and Karie.

Please give us the e-mail address, phone number, and address of Bill Dorey, your President and CEO in Bishop, CA. We need to take this discussion to the next level.