Zane Kesey, George Walker, Ken Babbs and others pose with the neglected Pranksters bus in 2005. (The Oregonian)LC- The Oregonian
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is pictured in 2020, when the Democrat was running for secretary of state. Fagan on Monday released details of her side job consulting for an embattled pot company’s affiliate. She earned $10,000 per month.
On July 20, 2020 I sent two e-mail to the president of La Mota asking her this;
“ I would like a statement from you how La Mota will be funding The Arts and Bohemian literature.“
I operate my “newspaper for the arts” on the monies I get from SSI – plus food stamps. I just worked all morning on BIG ETHICS! I didn’t get paid a dime. I want to sell Smoky to Netflix so I can move away from my neighbors who have tormented me and my cat friends. I was not happy with Ken Babbs declaring himself the King of Literary Beats, then asking folks to buy his book with the name “Cronies” on the cover. The term “Political Cronies” comes to mind.
With the the ethical storm our Secretary of State put our new Governor in – while she is trying to help the homeless – one is forced to ask if there is ANYTHING ethical about the smoking of marijuana – EVER! Let’s – STOP THE PRETENCE! How many original works of art does Babb’s own. Did he ever spend any of his money on – Art For Kids?
Who remembers that aging Hippie who stood in front ot the old Eugene Library – collecting petitions to get Pot Legal? Why doesn’t La Mota commission a statue of him – with Shemia Fagan’s help? She is right out of Central Casting. She is a ready-made work of art – and fiction! Beat Fiction? Would Ken Kesey put her in his book? Do I got to disguise her real name to get her on my Netflix series ‘Smoky’ so she wont sue me? WTF?
I’ve had a long hard day of looking at Our Collective Ethics. That Fagan gets $10,000 dollars a month – TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY – when it comes to Pot and Political Ethics – is a friggen mind-blower.! Did that Hippie get a dime collecting names so later on -some folks can make e a killing selling legal marijuana? How many Hipsters signed that petition – for cultural reasons?
Fagan went to Bible College. Did they teach ehtics there? Why am I the only one who anticipated – REAL TROUBLE? Getting the Jinn back in the bottle, is not going to be easy! The covert ones had a head start.
Smoky is now – on the case! More – will be revealed!
John Presco
President: Royal Rosamond Press
John Ambrose <braskewitz@yahoo.com>
To:lamotajustin@gmail.com
Mon, Jul 20, 2020 at 9:28 AM
I sent you a rough draft of the book and series I have in mind. I was married to Thomas Pynchon’s lover who was an artist. I own a newspaper for the arts. I would like a statement from you how La Mota will be funding The Arts and Bohemian literature.
John Presco
John Ambrose <braskewitz@yahoo.com>
To:lamotajustin@gmail.com
Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 2:23 PM
Hello Justin and Rosa;
Two weeks ago I began a detective novel titled ‘Smoky’. I am a original hippie who has been – on the bus. I was friends with Bruce Perlowin. Smoky is Hispanic. Yesterday I came upon your shop in Rockaway Beach. It’s a ready-made location. I had Smoky living in Carmel, but I might have her retire in Oregon. I’m having a generational problem. I am thinking of a mother and daughter detective team. I got roses in my family tree. If you can can I have a brief account of the history of La Mota, and any hits Rosa might get from reading my sketches. The photograph of Smoky has been a great model.
John Presco
| SmokySmoky by John Presco Copyright 2020 A possible series for Netflix As long as anyone can remember, Smoky lived at… |
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan on Monday released the lucrative contract for the consulting side job she took in February with an embattled cannabis company.
Under the deal, Fagan was paid $10,000 a month to help an affiliate of pot chain La Mota expand into other states and could have netted $30,000 bonuses for helping the chain’s owners, Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell, obtain licenses in states other than Oregon and New Mexico.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Secretary_of_State
The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the governor.[1] The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemia_Fagan
Secretary of State[edit]
In 2020, Fagan secured the Democratic nomination for Oregon Secretary of State in a close three-way race,[8] and went on to defeat Republican Kim Thatcher in the general election.[9]
On April 27, 2023, Willamette Week reported that Fagan had been working as a private consultant for the owners of La Mota, a cannabis dispensary chain operating in Oregon, while the Audits Division, which reports to Fagan as Secretary of State, had been working on an audit of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Fagan’s office released a statement clarifying that she had recused herself from the audit before the consulting contract began.[10] Republican leaders of the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate released a joint statement calling on Secretary Fagan to resign.[11] Governor Tina Kotek subsequently called for an ethics investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission into Fagan’s actions, along with an investigation by the Department of Justice into the audit.[12] On May 1, Fagan announced that she had terminated the consulting contract, which paid $10k a month.[13]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Nazarene_University
He then served as District Superintendent for the Northwest Indiana District Church of the Nazarene until 1945,[3] when he was elected founding dean of Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) in Kansas City, Missouri.[5] While at NTS in the 1950s, he operated a successful radio ministry.[3] He also was the author, compiler, or editor of at least 33 books.[6] DeLong later served as president of Pasadena College, from 1957 to 1960.
LGBTQ students[edit]
NNU is ranked among the “Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth” in the US by Campus Pride.[10] The Church of the Nazarene Manual 2017–2021[a] states that “we believe the practice of same-sex sexual intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality”.[18] The university’s Notice of Non-discrimination states that “The University maintains the right, with regard to its lifestyle covenant, employment, and other matters, to uphold and apply its religious beliefs related to, among other issues, marriage, sex (gender), gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual activity.”[19]
Author Ken Kesey, flush with cash from the publication of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” filled an aging, broken-down school bus with friends in 1964 and led them on a drug-fueled drive across America, later recounted in vivid detail in Tom Wolfe’s 1968 best-seller “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.”
More than a half-century later, Kesey’s longtime consigliere has weighed in with his own account of that memorable journey and numerous others.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/ron-desantis-disney-adults-reddit-1234724999/
Smoky’s Black Velvet Art Show
Posted on July 20, 2020 by Royal Rosamond Press
I just sent this e-mail to Rosa Cazares:
“I sent you a rough draft of the book and series I have in mind. I was married to Thomas Pynchon’s lover who was an artist. I own a newspaper for the arts. I would like a statement from you how La Mota will be funding The Arts and Bohemian literature.”
John Presco
Yesterday I posted an article about the selling of Rosemary’s home. I did not read the whole thing until later that night while watching Cops on Pluto T.V. I gasped! This is a powerful Psychic Hit.
“The sale has not yet been finalized, but Zak Bagans, the star of the reality show Ghost Adventures, told the Guardian he had long been looking for a home in the neighborhood and was buying the property. “There was a very, very strong energy in the house,” said Bagans, who visits “haunted” destinations on his show and investigates paranormal activity.
“I love to investigate spirits and places,” he continued. “This is a beautiful place with a very dark history.”
Smoky’s Art Show
by
John Presco
Copyright 2020
Smoky was smiling ear to ear at her first art show held in a Carmel gallery, until she heard a woman say this to her friend;
“This is not real art. It is so gauche.”
Smoky was about to open her mouth, when another woman came up to her.
“I love your work. I would like to teach you my styles so you can be rich and famous too!”
Smoky looked extremely puzzled as her eyes bore into this middle aged woman, who looked around nervously. Was this a back-handed compliment, or, the rudest thing anyone said to her. What a put down. Smoky believed she was on the road to fame and fortune as most artist’s do. It comes with the title. You can be a poor millionaire – to be – for free!
“See here….I don’t know what your……..What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking out for my brother. He is stalking me. Here’s my card. Stop by my gallery sometime.”
CHRISTINE ROSAMOND BENTON
As fate would have it, twenty years later, Smoky is talking to Rosamond’s brother, who is using the alias Johannes Rosenmund, whose card had the family crest. She was going to hit the delete button when she was reading about the lone fisherman who drowned at Rocky Point in 1994. His family had hired her because they suspected he was murdered. Juan never fishes alone. He always takes one of his many friends – with him!
“Why there? He knew it was a dangerous place. Grandpa had caught many fish over the years. He never came home empty handed.”
Knowing Juan’s family was poor, she took their case pro bono. She came to a complete dead end, and surmised Juan took his life – after he took out a life insurance policy. He had seven grandchildren by four daughters who were not married, and whose lovers deserted them as soon as they got pregnant. Juan was a janitor. Of course she did not tell the family. Reading the articles in the Carmel Pinecone all the bells and whistles went off, that this too was a case of Life Insurance Fraud. But, then there was the mention of going to Carmel and renting fishing poles.
“What happened to those poles?” asked Smoky.
“You mean the poles my family didn’t rent?” Johannes replied.
“No. There were poles there. This is as blatant an alibi that I ever read. I’ll take your case!”
Smoky had read ‘The Cosmic Trigger’ by Anton Wilson who had a theory about The Net of Coincidence. There were many people caught up in the net – including herself. After all the Maggots moved out, and after the real estate lady threw her out on her ass with the help of her goon surfers, Smoky was homeless. These were her lost years. She slept in her car in Venice and went to Santa Monica Junior College in order to get a real estate license. Her eyes had been opened. While there she took a course in Law Enforcement, and a art class. She wanted to be a licensed Private Investigator. Discovering she had talent as a visual artist – was a real bonus!
She sold her velvet paintings in an empty lot on Sepulveda and Wilshire in the Sawtelle. The pseudo right ate her work up. She signed her paintings ‘Smoky’ and today are collector items. Living at the Rosa Mira Hotel in Santa Monica, she noted their was a little shop for sale on Third Street. She made a down payment, and put up her shield. Next door was a comic book store. Stopping in to say hello to her neighbor, Smoky commented on the Raymond Chandler book display in the window. There was pulp fiction published in the Black Mask detective magazines. She bought a Chandler book ‘Farewell My Lovely’ and googled Raymond who said he emulated, and copied the style of Erl Stanley Gardener. Ray lived in this area.
Wanting to change her look, because there was prejudice against Latino real estate people, and PIs, Smoky died her hair blonde and imitated the persona of Kim Novak who she became fixated with. She had everything Smoky wanted. When she made a killing off the 3rd St. boom, she sold everything and moved to Carmel. She tried to buy Kim’s old home, but, it was destroyed by waves in a storm. When she found the home where ‘Play Misty’ was made – she snatched it up! But when she looked at Mr. Rosenmund’s blog, and the house where his sister died, she got spooked. Christine and Kim had much in common. What is the name of that person who invited her out to Rocky Point?
Smoky was beginning to come unblocked. She knew her mother’s name, and, started to wonder if she knew her father. When she discovered she was pregnant, she contacted Zardo who was recovering from an accident. He had taken over his father’s company ‘Viking Containers’ and was crushed between too of them. He lost his leg and his ability to make sperm. His father was overjoyed to know his line would go on.
“Offer her $50,000 dollars for my grandchild. We are not cheap people!” Said Timothy McLean the 1st.
Tim Zardo was a millionaire. He married the French model, Raphael Fouquet, who was Tim’s childhood sweetheart.
“Have you picked a name for the baby?” Smoky asked.
“Yes. We will call her Claudette.”
“If it is possible, could you name her after my mother – Rosa?”
Smoky closed her heart and did not hear Raphael’s answer. She was resigned to being an orphan – even an immaculate conception. But, when she took note of the connection between Novak, Liz, Christine, and Sondra, she wondered if there was a mystery man, a Svengali, a, Phantom of the Opera.
Smoky dialed the phone and when she heard the voice of the Mayor, she said;
“Play misty for me!”
To be continued!
For the first time in literary history a writer creates a fictional character, a PI to investigate the mysterious death of his sister, the world famous artist, Rosamond. I have never felt safe investigating and writer about her death. This work puts me in the midst of the Black Mask writers, and carries on the vision of my grandfather, Royal Rosamond, who taught Erl Stanley Gardener to write.
Rosamond Press 