I want to start by praising Jimmy Carter. The Republicans have always loathed him because he epitomized decency as a human being, something their own politicians rarely demonstrate, and also because his life was a beautiful repudiation of the fake Christianity so often expressed by the hypocrites in the GOP.

Just a few random comments before I take the rest of the week off for the holidays:

Virtually alone among Bay Area big cities, Oakland defiantly continues to allow the worst encampments to despoil the city. From Lakeside Park to Mosswood to East 12th Street and the despicable mess along the Estuary, your pro-homeless government is resisting doing what everyone else is doing: Cleaning up the slums.

Nikki F. Bas was shocked, shocked on Tuesday during the City Council meeting that slashed the budgets of both the Police Department and the Fire Department. “Most of what is before us,” she moaned, “is really hard to swallow.”

My friend Carrie, a longtime Coalition member, moved from her East Oakland home to another city some time ago. She didn’t want to leave but felt she had no choice: conditions in her neighborhood had deteriorated to the point where she no longer felt safe.