Will lifting the sanctions on Iran spell trouble for Kern County's pistachio farmers? Plus more crime news and a hot new restaurant takes hold in town

 * ... NUTS: When analysts talk about lifting sanctions on Iran, they usually focus on what affect that will have on the global energy markets as Iranian oil competes on the world stage. But for Kern County, a lesser-known impact may come when Iranian pistachios flood the world market. Analysts say this could depress prices and its effect will be felt throughout Kern County, one of the nation's largest producers of the coveted nuts.
Said Bloomberg Business news: "Iran has far more clout in the market for cocktail nibbles than it does in crude trading. While it ranks only as the world’s seventh-largest oil producer, the Middle Eastern country vies with the U.S. to be the biggest pistachio grower. As with oil, Iranian sales of pistachios to the U.S. and Europe have been hampered by sanctions. As the talks between Washington and Tehran to resolve the decade-long nuclear dispute... traders are predicting lower prices."

* ... USS MISSOURI: This week marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II when a ceremony was held on the deck of the USS Missouri. Candace Cummings said her father, Edward Joseph Cummings, was a young naval officer aboard the Missouri and witnessed the historic event. "Today, my father is a vibrant 95-year-old veteran who served his country admirably for 30 years. Several days ago (August 28th) we celebrated his birthday at his San Francisco club with family and friends along with many toasts and cheers. I am a resident of Bakersfield and my parents are frequent visitors who thoroughly enjoy my friends and our town!"

 * ... CRIME: More crime news about town: thieves are targeting late model pickup trucks and SUVs and stealing both the front and back seats. One homeowner walked out to his Silverado pickup one morning and found only the front seats gone.

 * ... FOODIE BEST BET: One of the hottest meal tickets in town is offered at The Kitchen, a tiny culinary school/eatery on 20th Street run by Darci Atkinson. The business was set up so folks could get hands on experience in the kitchen, but it has become a favorite haunt for foodies who appreciate the fresh organic offerings, smaller serving sizes, attention to detail and creative offerings. Make sure to refer to its website to check on the hours, www.thekitchenbakersfield.com.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "How can I be expected to make life choices when I still use my fingers to count?"

 * ... DROUGHT: And there was this from reader Greg Laskowski: "I have another conundrum for you. In these times of water austerity measures, I have a neighbor who is watering his lawn with gray water effluent from his washing machine. After applying this measure over the course of several months, his lawn is still brown but it does smell like Snuggle. Oh, and here’s the funny part: one day I come home and I see the garden hose on the lawn and tracked it back to his garage where I see a rush of water running from his garage down the driveway.  I run to his kitchen door to notify him of the impending calamity. He reassures me not to worry. His gray water from the washing machine is being transferred to a 36-gallon plastic drum that has a tap on the bottom feeding the garden hose. The problem is that the washing machine holds 42 gallons of water. Go figure?

 * ... MEA CULPA: And finally, I want to offer this apology to anyone who subscribes to home delivery of The Bakersfield Californian. For the last year, our delivery service has been spotty at times, and in many cases, downright awful. The reasons behind this are not important; what is important is that you know I take responsibility and pledge to you that I am working to resolve this issue immediately. I have heard from all of you who have complained (about missing papers, late delivery, no vacation stops) and I appreciate your concerns, loyalty and frustration. Your feedback is important, and I hope you bear with us. We are dealing with the delivery issues and just this week hired a new senior customer service manager from out of state to come help solve this problem. You deserve better, and we will make that happen.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: President Obama faces a defining moment on Iran. Will he show real U.S. leadership or will he make the world an even more dangerous place?

 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:


"At the end of the month, the Obama administration will run into a deadline to reach an agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the limits of its nuclear program. The majority of Americans and their representatives in Congress are clear on their requirements for this deal: at no point in time should Iran

be able to build a nuclear bomb. But as reports of an emerging deal indicate, this injunction on an Iranian nuclear bomb may only last for ten years. That is simply unacceptable.

 "Iran’s active state sponsorship of terrorism has isolated them from the free world. This isolation creates a sense of obscurity for many Americans who were not old enough to remember the Iranian hostage crisis from 1979 to 1981 or who view seemingly sporadic terrorist attacks in the Middle East as simply part of the region. But within this public isolation, Iran has operated through terrorist proxy groups to exert their will and fuel sectarian conflict in the Middle East. This active engagement in terrorism has killed potentially thousands of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan and destabilized the region.

  "United States and other world leaders have responded to Iranian aggression by issuing tough sanctions on their ability to take part in the global economy. As the sanctions were intended to do, the Iranian economy began to crumble, creating unrest with the Iranian people living in economic distress. This has forced Iran to the negotiating table to end their pursuit of a nuclear weapon and reassess their support for terrorism.

  "With Iran at the table, President Obama faces a defining opportunity to reassert America’s leadership in the world and to close the book on Iran’s malevolent hegemony. But as reports indicate, he is failing to rise to the occasion. He and his Administration have even forgotten that it is the economic pressure from sanctions that even brought Iran to the negotiating table.

 "Iranian leaders have been involved in efforts that have killed Americans and innocent women and children. Should a void of leadership arise in the Middle East, they will look to fill it—as they have already started to. If the Administration grants Iran global legitimacy and eases economic pressure but fails to force Iran to surrender their intention to build a nuclear bomb and support of terrorism, the world will never be the same. Iran’s influence will only increase, and a race within the region to match the Iranian nuclear capacity would almost surely occur. This is not the world order that President Ronald Reagan commanded through American leadership and it is certainly not one Republicans in Congress will stand for. America must lead because when we do not lead, the world becomes unsafe.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: is President Obama about to cut a deal with Iran on its nuclear program at the expense of U.S. relations with Israel?

 House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

  "In recent weeks, the public has heard disturbing revelations about the White House’s approach to our challenges in the Middle East.  As our military continues to fight to keep the terrorist organization ISIS he Administration is dually in negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program.

from metastasizing throughout the region and from potentially carrying out terrorist activity in the West, t

  "Iran has yet to prove that it is willing to negotiate for a deal acceptable to the West. We know one thing for certain: we cannot accept an Iran with nuclear weapons. Iran has a bad human rights record, which has even worsened recently. It is a sponsor of state terrorism, an enemy of our greatest Middle East ally, Israel, and a destabilizing influence in the region.

 "These negotiations face a deadline at the end of November and reports indicate that the Administration is ready to make a deal with Iran and provide significant sanctions relief to the Iranian regime without Congressional support. While this “go at it alone” approach is distressing, it is made even more worrisome in light of additional reports that the Administration may be willing to yet again make significant concessions to the Iranians. There is overwhelming, bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill about Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, its sponsorship of terrorism, its promotion of instability throughout the region, and its appalling human rights record. I can promise that Congress will conduct extensive oversight regarding the details of any deal or extension of the current Joint Plan of Action.

 "But earlier this week, the Administration’s disrespectful attitude to our closest allies in the region was made public. Speaking anonymously, a White House official attacked the character of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. These are not isolated insults; they are part of a pattern of disrespectful and profoundly counterproductive behavior that has strained the critical alliance between the United States and Israel.

 :"No ally of the United States is perfect and neither is any American administration.  But responsibility Presidents ensure their advisors work through policy differences with our closest partners respectfully and through the appropriate channels. The U.S. Congress is firmly committed to the U.S.-Israel alliance and will continue to resolutely oppose unilateral efforts by the Palestinians at the United Nations, and demand that Palestinian leaders join Israel in seeking a negotiated, two-state solution to the conflict that allows both sides to live in peace and security.

  "It is imperative that the President publicly repudiate both of these incidents and commit to working with Congress and supporting our great ally in the region.