LAW AND ORDER: SEASIDE… Squid is a fan of police procedurals, those fabulously formulaic television dramas featuring mix-and-match cops and plug-in plot lines – a Criminal Minds marathon and a little shrimp-flavored popcorn makes for one chillaxin’ cephalopod. But recently Squid had the opportunity to witness the inner workings of the criminal justice system up close and it wasn’t so soothing. The scene: A community meeting at Oldemeyer Center. The cast: Seaside police and community members. The plot: In the wake of the city’s first (and hopefully only) homicide of 2012, residents ask what they can do to feel safer.


One resident asked Seaside Chief Vicki Meyers to identify the ethnicity of gang members and what colors or patterns of clothing they might wear; that way, when the resident saw anyone fitting those parameters, she could call the police and go on with her day. A nonplussed Meyers gently explained that residents should only call the police if they see illegal behavior (and thus, being brown and wearing red doesn’t qualify). 


One potential identifying mark did come up, though: Seaside’s iconic seahorse, used on signage all over town, has fallen prey to thieves in a few spots the past few months. Police say it’s because a handful of gangs, like the city, have adopted the reclusive sea creature as a mascot. The Monterey Bay Aquarium might want to lock down the otters; who knows where one of them might end up if this twisted little trend catches on.


UNFORGIVEN… Now that election season is in full swing, Squid is harking back to those thrilling days of yesteryear, better known as Superbowl XLVI, when Clint Eastwood was roundly criticized for doing what some perceived to be a pro-Barack Obama commercial. 


The iconic Eastwood walking down a darkened tunnel, talking about the fighting spirit of the Motor City: “It’s half-time, America, and our second half is about to begin,” Eastwood rasped, managing to pimp Chrysler and piss off Karl Rove at the same time. While Rove whined, Eastwood disavowed any political affiliation with the president. 


Well, now that stance has been solidified. Eastwood this weekend came straight out of the closet and landed firmly in Mitt Romney’s bedroom. “I think the country needs a boost,” Eastwood told the Associated Press this weekend before attending a private fundraiser for Romney in Sun Valley, Idaho. Eastwood said he believed Romney, who to date has refused to release his tax returns to the media, would restore “a decent tax system… so there’s a fairness.” It’s always heartening to see a 1 percenter standing up for another 1 percenter in the name of fairness.