Why are Dems so paranoid of Progressives?

This cartoon pretty much says it all. The Dems are becoming conservative curmudgeons and Republicans are just lost and sitting there waiting to be taken over. Click on the cartoon for bigger version. 

SF Gate reports on Rapid Transit victory in Marin. Coming soon Cloverdale.

Nine years after voters approved a commuter train system for the North Bay, it will start service Aug. 25.

The opening comes after more than two years of delays for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit System, known as SMART. By the end of next week, riders will be able to hop aboard trains at 10 stations from the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael, a 43-mile route along old Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks.

“We are proud to say that we are ready to roll,” said SMART Board of Directors Chairwoman Debora Fudge in a statement. “This is the result of years of hard work from SMART’s staff. ... We will remember this day for generations to come.”

Full service will begin at 12:49 p.m. on Aug. 25 after a 9 a.m. opening ceremony at the Santa Rosa Downtown Station. Fares will be free the first day, and 50 percent off through Sept. 4.

The last delays to the system were because of federal red tape, agency officials said. The system hadn’t received final approval for a $50 million safety feature called positive train control, which is designed to automatically stop trains if it senses a potential collision or problem. That happened this week.

Operators are planning 34 trips every weekday between Santa Rosa and San Rafael starting before sunrise and into the evening, with one-way fares payable by Clipper card and ranging from $3.50 to $11.50. New stations and connections are already in the works, including Larkspur and downtown Novato.

Relics win Senior Tournament. Mickey Ayala wins HR contest. Next Senior Tourney Aug. 26?

The Relics had to rally for 5 runs in the bottom of the 7^th to slip by the Bears 11-10 to reach the championship game and barely held on to beat the Classics 5-4 to garner the 1^st Place Trophy donated by Samoa Athletic Club. The Rookies took down the Bears 15-8 for 3^rd Place.

From Bottom Left for Relics: Stuart Rosenburg 3B, Al Wolski 2B, Kathy, Mark Raymond OF, Robert Ruehl 1st and Tom Marking SS. Top: Softball King OF, David Damme OF, Tim Ash 1st, Paul Pennington P, Paul Barrett OF and Pat Higgins C.  Average age 64.45. 

Mickey Ayala hit 3 out 5 swings out of the park to win a very competitive Home Run contest. Doc Jones hit 2 out of 5 and hit the fence on another and Scott Wooley, Jeff Powers and Buzz Johnson also cleared the fence.

Very spirited Saturday! Big Thanks to Buzz Johnson and Tom Marking for the help with field prep. I hope we can do this again in August.

Thank You to all who participated and patronized the Snack Bar helping out Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball League.

Here is the top 21 hitters by Base % in the Tournament:

1.       Paul Pennington               .777        Relics

2.       Stuart Rosenburg             .777        Relics

3.       Pat Higgins                        .777        Relics

4.       Mike Conboy                     .777        Bears

5.       Mike Powers                     .727        Rookies

6.       Tom Pagano                      .727        Rookies

7.       Tim Ash                              .700        Relics

8.       Kent Froblom                    .700        Classics

9.       Scott Wooley                     .700        Classics

10.   Bill Hicks                            .667        Classics

11.   Doug Pace                         .667        Classics

12.   Carlos Avelar                     .636        Rookies

13.   Mickey Ayala                     .636        Bears

14.   Kieth Morison                   .636        Bears

15.   Mark Raymond                 .636        Relics

16.   Paul Barrett                       .636        Relics

17.   Robert Ruehl                     .625        Relics

18.   Dave Schlosse                   .600        Bears

19.   Rick Mitchell                     .600        Bears

20.   Paul Woodland                 .600        Bears

21.   Earl Eddy                            .600        Bears