BitchTapes: There Goes the Neighborhood | (Music) Bitch Media (Or... Tech Bros & Condos SUCK!)

Dear Seattle:  Your Brothers and Sisters In San Francisco Feel Your Pain!

"This week's mixtape is curated by Emily Nokes of esteemed Seattle pop punk band Tacocat!

This is...
An Ode to the Practice Spaces, Gay Bars, Weird Businesses, Affordable Housing, and other Long-Lost Treasures that Seattle has lost recently to:

Greyish-beige condos filled with bigots;  Tech jerks terrorizing service workers on the weekend in the very neighborhood they can no longer afford to live in; Queer/arts/ethnically-diverse neighborhoods dissolving into restaurant nightmares; Lavish marijuana shops selling government-approved wares on the same corner folks were busted for (and still doing time for) selling marijuana! 

Cities change and that's a fact. But Seattle musicians aren't going down without writing a bunch of songs about it first."

BitchTapes: There Goes the Neighborhood | Bitch Media: Songs from Seattle musicians calling out gentrification in their neighborhoods, curated by Emily Nokes of Tacocat.

Reply To SFCitizen's Post Re: Golden Gate Park's (& San Francisco's) Disappearing Trash Cans

Public Trash Receptacle via SFDPW.

The following is my comment/reply to SFCitizen.com's post:

"Oh Look, No More Garbage Cans at the Golden Gate Park Panhandle Playground..."

Hello sfcitizen:

Years ago, I noticed when The City's garbage cans were disappearing from street corners and parks - particularly in the Panhandle, because I live on Haight Street.

I do not know what The City's excuse was for removing them at that time, but I guessed the City fathers were thinking, "Remove the trash cans and cut back on the Sunset Scavengers bill." Or, "Remove the cans and no one will dump their trash around them when they're overflowing."

If only it were so simple!  Unfortunately, it appears that there's always going to be a fair number of human beings who are going to throw whatever trash they have away - regardless of whether there's a receptacle for it or not.

As someone who, voluntarily, cleans up trash, daily (primarily shattered bottles & other hazards) from our sidewalks and parks, I've learned that, sadly, there's a never-ending stream of it.

And, as it's turned out, without any trash cans for the more sensible among the masses to make use of, people's (especially 'Bay To Breakers' and "4:20" weekend warrior people's) trash is still getting scattered on the ground in the parks and on the street corners where the cans used to be located.

Whether for rats or whatever, removing all the trash cans is not the answer.

Keep San Francisco Beautiful, people! (Or, at least, don't trash her!)

Thanks!
L.
A fellow sfcitizen

A Conservative State - Utah - Solved Chronic Homelessness And Saved Millions!

Hey, California Governor Jerry Brown!!!

LOOK AT THIS:

"“If you want to end homelessness, you put people in housing,” Walker said in an interview. “This is relatively simple.”"
"... what has been perhaps the nation’s most successful — and radical — program to end chronic homelessness.

Now, more than a decade later, chronic homelessness in one of the nation’s most conservative states may soon end.  And all of it is thanks to a program that at first seems stripped from the bleeding-heart manual.

In 2005, Utah had nearly 1,932 chronically homeless.  By 2014, that number had dropped 72 percent to 539. Today, explained Gordon Walker, the director of the state Housing and Community Development Division, the state is “approaching a functional zero.”

Here's the link to the New York Post Article: Enjoy!

The Surprisingly Simple Way Utah Solved Chronic Homelessness And Saved Millions Of Dollars

Election Day 2015 In San Francisco PLEASE VOTE! It Does Matter!!!

Do You Live In San Francisco?

Well, Today, November 3rd, 2015 Is Election Day!!

PLEASE Go Out And Vote!!

Voting Does Matter!!

The People Who Tell You That It Doesn't Matter Don't Want You To Vote!!
(*Needless to say, they're going to go out and vote - against YOU!)

Here's a Quick & Easy Voting Guide From The League Of Pissed Off Voters:

Vote 1-2-3 & REPLACE Ed Lee!

YES ON PROP. F and YES ON PROP. I!!

Happy Voting!!!

SAN FRANCISCO LEAGUE OF PISSED OFF VOTERS 

November 3, 2015 Voter Guide

Vote 1-2-3 Replace Ed Lee: Sí Se Puede: Lara Manzanares ft Francisco Herrera for SF Mayor

SAN FRANCISCO:

Please VOTE TOMORROW:  November 3rd, 2015.

YES, It Matters!

Si Se Puede!

VOTE 1-2-3 REPLACE Ed Lee!

VOTE: Francisco Herrera, Amy Weiss and Stuart Schuffman For Mayor!

Thank you very much! / Muchas Gracias!

Forget Mame: Realtors Are To Blame for San Francisco’s Housing Crisis

The Following is a True Story:

"Rents are skyrocketing in San Francisco because state law prevents the city from restricting rent increases on vacant apartments. Realtors get all the credit for putting the city in this policy straitjacket. In 1995, realtors’ won passage of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act"

"Absent Costa-Hawkins, San Francisco rents on most vacant apartments would be at least 25-50% cheaper today. In cases like the Hayes Valley 1 bdrm units now advertised for over $4000, the rent would likely be 50%- 75% less."

"Realtors, not progressives, are also to blame for the fear of Ellis Act evictions throughout San Francisco... realtors have fought in Sacramento the past two years to preserve speculators right to evict longterm tenants for profit—a point too often overlooked in assessments of San Francisco’s housing crisis."

"Strong rent control and eviction protections are the core prerequisites for maintaining affordable housing. That’s why Richmond’s enactment of both measures last week is so critical (see my piece, “Richmond 1, Gentrification 0”)."

"Realtors have denied San Francisco the most potent strategies to protect affordable housing, which would be the enactment of vacancy controls and preventing speculator Ellis evictions. They should be called to account for what their policies have wrought."

(Excerpted From:)

Blame Realtors for SF’s Housing Crisis

by Randy Shaw

Happy Thursday!

I just sent this email to San Francisco's Public Utility Commission (PUC) and wanted to share it with you/make it public because I'm concerned about the safety of our drinking/cooking/bathing water AND I'm very concerned about the safety of the marine life in San Francisco Bay/ the Pacific Ocean/etc...

I'm guessing these might also be issues that are important to you.  Especially since most municipal water departments have switched from using 'free' chlorine as a disinfectant in drinking water to using chloramine (a chlorine/ammonia compound).  Not only is chloramine not easy to remove, effectively... it is deadly to fresh- and salt-water fish, amphibians and reptiles.

Hello PUC:

I was compelled to contact you after discovering glaringly conflicting information in regards to what the Public Utilities Commission (sfwater.org) states about effective methods of removing chloramine from tap/drinking water and what the EPA states about such methods.

According to the EPA (http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/disinfection/chloramine/pdfs/Q29.pdf):

Neither boiling water; nor allowing water to sit at room temperature; nor reverse-osmosis filters removes monochloramine from drinking water.

Yet, sfwater.org's (http://www.sfwater.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentID=6920) "QUESTIONS REGARDING CHLORINE AND CHLORAMINE REMOVAL FROM WATER Updated March 2015" states:

"If desired, chloramine and ammonia can be completely removed from the water by
boiling; however, it will take 20 minutes of gentle boil to do that."

In another paragraph, it discourages "... letting an open container of water stand because it may take days for chloramine to dissipate."

It also states: "If desired, both chlorine and chloramine can be removed for drinking water purposes by an activated carbon filter point of use device that can be installed on a kitchen faucet."

In researching this last statement, I learned that the activated carbon filter alone is not enough to remove chloramine from tap water.  Brewers of beer and - especially - aquarium-keepers repeatedly confirm this statement.

Also, since chloramines are deadly to fish and amphibians at levels used for drinking water, I am very concerned about the harm being done to marine life in San Francisco Bay (and, in turn, the Pacific Ocean) by run-off from fire hydrants, water mains, etc. and from water released from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.

I look forward to hearing from the PUC in regards to these two important matters:
1.) Why are there such glaring discrepancies between SF's PUC and the EPA re: effective chloramine removal at home/What is the Truth? and
2.) What is San Francisco doing to protect San Francisco Bay's (and the Pacific's) marine life from toxic chloramine exposure?

Thank you.

Best regards,

San Francisco, CA

The SFPD: Keeping Car Seats Warm In The City

(9/26/14.  5:15 am)
I'm really annoyed by and disappointed in the San Francisco Police Department.  A short while ago, I was awakened by the sounds of two people yelling at each other and someone throwing trash into the street. Cans, bottles, metallic objects, paper... whatever was in the corner City-owned can, some imbecile was out there, doing the Haight Street Shuffle and throwing it into the middle of the street, while verbally berating his girlfriend.

I put a great deal of effort into helping to keep my neighborhood clean and safe for everybody everyday. I clean up broken glass. I pick up discarded bottles so they don't end up as broken glass.  I wash away blood and feces (Yes, it's gross. Hopefully it's only canine) from the sidewalks and from in front of shop entryways.  I carry various sidewalk-discarded items to the Goodwill, if they are in good enough condition to re-sell.  I do this for free.  Because I care and because I love and respect my neighborhood.

SFPD officers get paid significant amounts of taxpayer money for putting forth their efforts towards the same goal:  Public Safety.  Or, so I thought (Silly me, I believed the advertising).

I called the SFPD Non-Emergency number shortly before 5am, because the way this guy was going at the trash, he was going to empty the (formerly) full can into the street and then walk away (on to the next trash can) after leaving a huge, unsightly and unsafe mess that would get spread out further and further in every direction.  Of course, I'm going to get a broom and dustpan and gloves and go clean it up before that happens.  But, I can't do it right now, because the asshole who did it just came back - again - and threw some more trash around and then headed down the street.  But, he might come back yet again and I don't want to have to clean it up twice.

Anyway, by the time the black-and-white showed up, the dude was tackling his girlfriend to the ground (he'd already shoved her into a metal gate).  She was yelling at him to get off of her.  So, when the police put their spotlight on the couple in mid-knock-down-drag-out, I thought, "Hurray!  Now, the police can/will do something because they caught him in the act of physically assaulting his girlfriend (he'd stopped emptying the trash can by then).  I was wrong.  Whomever was in that squad car did (drum-roll, please) absolutely nothing!  No voice came over the P.A..  No officer exited the car to ask them what was going on.  Nada.  Unless you want to count the conversation they had with some other officer(s) inside a second police car that had rolled up after the first one, watched the end of the wrestling match and then drove up to the first car's driver's side window and had a chat whilst the girl started picking up her stuff and the guy just strolled off in the opposite direction. (I could just imagine their conversation: Officer #1: "You deal with this one, I don't want to have to do the paperwork." Officer #2: "Nope, I don't feel like getting out of the car.") When they finished their visit, I still had hope the police officers would do something.  After all, all of the SFPD squad cars have bumper stickers on them that declare "There's No Excuse For Domestic Violence".  Now, I think the stickers are placed there just to cover up rust spots.

I called the SFPD non-emergency number again, shortly after 5am , thoroughly disgusted.  I told the operator what had transpired.  About how the officers who 'responded' did nothing.  She asked me why I hadn't said (in my first phone call) that the guy was hitting the girl.  I told her why:  Because he hadn't been hitting her at that point.  Unlike when the car rolled up on the couple.  I let her know where the girl was.  I thought she might send someone to check on her.  I let her know the asshole was headed towards Golden Gate Park.  She said she'd let the officers know.  I should have asked her to let some different officers know - like two who would actually do something. They did a repeat performance of... Nothing. How do I know? Because the asshole is back across the street - for the third? fourth? time - adding to his masterpiece.

I just called again - this is getting ridiculous, the near empty can is in the street - and now, apparently, they don't have a record of my earlier calls.  The reason I think so is that the operator asked if, possibly, I'd given a different address, earlier.

What pisses me off about this is that the SFPD will exit their lane-blocking squad cars in order to jack-up random homeless people all the live-long day (apparently, for being homeless - which is a situation, not a crime) - asking for ID and running their names and telling them to "Move along!".  But, when I actually call because some fool is creating a hazard and they - with their own eyes - see him assaulting some girl... they do nothing.|

And, they make it look so... effortless!

*Post Script:

Seeing this makes my day:  A couple of construction workers working on that block just swept it up! Thank You!

Early Morning Shakes: California Earthquake 6.0

Shake, Rattle and Roll...

We just had a significant earthquake in California!  Hit about 3:20 am.  Earliest USGS guess is 6.0.  It had a strong back-and-forth swing to it and lasted about 7  seconds.  Don't know if it caused any major damage or injuries or fatalities, yet.  Hope not...

"Shake Out. Don't Freak Out." Was Brought To You Today By The State AND Cali, Herself.

Today, Thursday October 20, 2011, at 10:20 am California held its statewide "Great California Shake-Out" to remind Californians that: A.) We live in earthquake country. and B.) What they should do before, during and after an earthquake.

Then, at 2:41 pm today, Thursday October 20, 2011: Mother Nature hosted an earthquake in the vicinity of Berkeley (3.9 to 4.1 magnitude) to remind us that we live in earthquake country, etc., etc.

Needless to say, we were shaking here in San Francisco...

Haight Ashbury SFPD Park Station Officers Tag Taggers - Hurray!

Yes...

I will admit that I have been rather annoyed with some members of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).

Not with all of them, mind you.

Just those individual officers who go above and beyond the call when it comes to cruelty, harassment, and/or brutality...

Especially officers like you, Officer Gabriel Gallaread... now, apparently, wreaking havoc out of the Mission Station.

Hallelujah! Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish!

I do offer our Beloved Mission District my deepest sympathy and encourage those who live there to avoid this particular officer - especially if you are out alone at night.

I Saw What You Did, Gabriel, And I Know What You Are... You are Nothing... But a Thug... With a gun and a badge.

But, I digress...

The Great News:

Yesterday afternoon, as I walked my loyal companion around The Haight, I observed one Park Station-based SFPD officer on a SFPD bike going to speak with a business-owner.

The officer has short, blond hair. I do not know his name, but he's been in the neighborhood for a while. And, from what I've observed in the past, he does a commendable job. (I haven't seen him beat anyone to a bloody mess who was already in handcuffs and not resisting.)

On my return, on the other side of the street, I noticed the officer's bike parked against a shop. There was also an empty black-and-white parked at the curb a short distance away from the bike. I was curious where the officers had gone. I glanced into a few shops, to no avail.

Then, I looked across Haight Street...

And, there they all were.

The young, blond officer and two female officers - a blonde and a brunette (I gather that they were in the squad car) - were talking to three young men.

Well, actually, they looked like three boys, young teenagers - all in dark clothing and one had a new-skool skateboard.

My dear dog wanted to go to the Park, but I've learned the importance of being observant and, although I didn't believe any of these officers would do anything wrong, someone needs to be paying attention to these types of interactions - just in case.

What I then observed absolutely warmed the shreds of what used to be my heart:

One of the female officers picked up three yellow aerosol canisters... the kind used by artistically-gifted mural artists and turd-ball taggers, alike.

The officers were taking turns talking to the three boys, asking them questions and explaining what will happen to them each time that they are caught tagging public and/or private property... up to and including being ordered to do a long-stint of community service (hopefully removing graffiti) and - if I heard correctly - not being allowed to get their driver's licenses for a while (yes, they were that young).

Individually, the two women each looked at me, briefly, while they spoke to the boys.

I made the effort to look harmless and smile.

I didn't want to interrupt something I'd never seen happen before and might never see again.

You see, it's often a rare thing to catch the little scrawling, tagging rug-rats in action.

The ones I often see come out at night - after leaving mommy and daddy at home, blankly staring at the tv... "Have fun, dear. Don't be home too late!" - go out with a buddy or two to deface the world and create eyesores galore.

The daylight ones often carry paint-pens and glance around before scrawling something on homes, businesses, buses, gates, trash cans, windows, mailboxes, doors, etc. (you get the picture). The simple act of looking around = they know that they shouldn't be doing it.

The night-scrawlers can be observed meandering back and forth across the streets - no particular destination in mind - seeking targets that call out to them.

Usually, one or two of them plays "look-out", while the other does his asinine excuse for "art".

The three junior juvee-wannabees I now observed had been flat out busted in flagrante... with the tools of their tagging trade on their persons and - likely - with paint on their clothes/hands.

Bwahahahahahahaha!

When the young, blond officer glanced across the street at me with a curious look - he probably knows I live in the 'hood by now - I simply gave him a subtle smile and a thumbs-up... "You guys rock!", I said under my breath.

Seeing that, he smiled back at me.

I think he was a bit surprised.

He needn't be. I abhor taggers.

The City will cite and heavily-fine property owners if their property is tagged by the little losers and the scrawl isn't quickly removed.

I happen to love and respect my landlord. He's an angel. He happens to live elsewhere. So, when our building gets tagged, I'm the person who paints over it.

For a while, I was keeping a can of paint and a paint-brush just inside our front door - it was that bad.

But, despite the looming threat of losing police officers due to budget cuts, I've noticed a consistent and visible presence of officers in our neighborhood... and it makes a Big Difference.

Not just with the taggers, either.

There also seems to have been fewer fights breaking out in the street.

Yeah, when the bars close, there's usually at least one drunken fool shooting off his mouth at someone else.

Thankfully, of late, it seems to stop there... Just words... Just yelling... Or, maybe even a little shoving... But, it tends to stop there.

At least, there hasn't been the kind of violent assaults that - for a while - ended with people bleeding and ambulances being called.

"To Serve And Protect."

I may not say it enough...

Heck, I don't think I've ever said it...

But, Park Station, You guys (and women) Rock.

Thank you.

Really Good Tuesday, Bleary-Eyed Happy Wednesday: PG&E's Prop.16 Defeated

Greeting From The Golden State!

Just prior to this Tuesday's Primary in Cali, I'd been blogging and posting items around the 'net to emphasize the importance that voters in our beloved California understand the Truth behind Proposition 16 and, hopefully, upon learning said Truth... vote against it.

CA Proposition 16 was framed, written and financially-sponsored - to the tune of $46 Million (In the words of sarah palin: "I kid you not.") - by that big ol' monopolizing, corporate parasite: PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric).

And, although the shockingly expensive campaign's goal - with it's targeted, shiny & colorful mailings that resembled Green Party mailings and contained references to "Green Energy" (which PG&E has shown virtually no genuine interest in developing voluntarily) and it's endless barrage of TV commercials with their over-the-top sense of urgency and indignant cries from the actors, babbling about "... government taking away our rights!" - was to sell Prop. 16 as (get this): "The Voter's Right To Choose Act"... This legislation, if passed, would have actually taken away Californians Right To Choose/opt for Public-Owned Power/Green Energy suppliers instead of PG&E by changing the CA State Constitution so that it would require a 2/3 majority ballot vote - something PG&E well knew would have been impossible to achieve - and thereby cementing their fossil fuel-focused, power-supplying monopoly across the state for perpetuity.

Recent events in our beloved Marin County undoubtedly contributed to lighting a fierce fire under PG&E's sizable buttocks and motivating them to do whatever was necessary to achieve their goal of maintaining their monopoly of supplying energy in California.

Thousands of those fine folks unceremoniously dumped PG&E... Opting, instead, to answer the door when Opportunity came a'knocking.

My Warmest Welcome and Greetings to: "Marin Clean Energy", California's First Public Power Agency.

"Marin Clean Energy, a Community Choice Aggregation Program, is an alternative to PG&E and other utility companies. It allows electricity consumers to choose nonpolluting, renewable energy.

The Community Choice Aggregation program was established by the State Legislature in 2002 to give cities and counties the ability to procure electricity on behalf of its customers."
(From:ktvu.com)

Despite Marin County's achievement, needless to say, fighting Prop. 16 looked to be an uphill battle from the start...

It was going be PG&E's not just deep, but bottomless pockets VS a truly rag-tag pseudo-assemblage of citizens across California, many of whom immediately - upon hearing the "Yes on 16" TV ad for the first time - smelled a big, fossil-fueled, money-lusting rat... namely PG&E.

The No On Prop. 16 Campaign wasn't nearly as well-organized as the mega-bucks corporate monopoly... Still, there were countless individuals and small groups of Californians whom passionately spread the Good Word/The Real Truth about Prop. 16.

And, as it turned out, the "No on 16" Campaign utilized the proven tools of the internet effectively: Groups of concerned citizens of many sizes posted videos on YouTube: Groups like: "BayLocalize" - a rocking group whom posted the Fabulous Music Video you'll find below, which they'd filmed on the steps of the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) - it's a catchy "NO on Prop. 16" message in song and an adaptation of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive") and "NoOnProp16" - whom posted a number of videos with footage of local and network news attention... my favorite of theirs being the $30-Budgeted Mash-up video of "man-on-the-street" real people conversations about Prop. 16, which is also below.

Some groups built pages on Facebook... "Vote No On Prop 16" for example, and they soon discovered that someone had hacked into their Facebook account, commandeered their Facebook ID's and then falsely and fraudulently posted their individual names followed by the statement: "Likes Prop. 16". (Those Bastards!).

And a variety of people - myself included - posted the Truth About Prop. 16 whenever and wherever the opportunity arose.

BayLocalize's "I Will Survive - No On Prop 16":



NoOnProp16's "Mash-Up People On The Streets Interview":



All of You Guys and Grrls Against Prop. 16 Rocked... and You Rocked The Vote!

Heading towards the Finish Line, the "No on 16" Campaign had raised a total of no more than $90,000 to fight the evil, entrenched, energy empire. Unlike PG&E, they couldn't afford a barrage of slick TV ads all across California. Nor could they afford to print and send out many thousands of targeted, shiny, multi-colored mailings on photographic paper.

But the No On 16 Campaign had The Truth on its side.

Thankfully, those against Prop. 16 had a healthy amount of internet access/savvy and know-how.

Individually and in groups, we were all committed to working - when we could - to get the word out about PG&E's lies.

To tell our friends and neighbors and communities about how PG&E was blowing the equivalent of the Gross National Product of a small country to spread their lies and deceit... to incessantly hammer their B.S. across the airwaves.

And, do you know WHY they dumped so much damn money into Prop. 16?

PG&E sank $47 Million into Prop. 16 because that mega-bucks, money-grubbing monopoly thinks so little of all of their hard-working customers that they are convinced that we Californians are Stupid.

PG&E thinks we Californians are so stupid, in fact, that they were sure that if they constantly flashed their lies at our eyes and blasted them at our ears enough times... that we'd start to believe that the lies they were telling were the truth.

Kinda makes one a bit... I dunno... Angry?

Many citizens also began to pressure some better-known CA elected officials to get them to speak out against Prop. 16 (which, in some cases, finally worked - although they sent their representatives... but, hey, they're busy people, too.)

And, heck, at this point... I'd even say we had The Force on our side.

These were only "Primaries" and only being held in 12 states, so many talking heads on TV repeatedly mentioned "low voter turnout" as a real possibility... which might not bode well for the "NO on 16" Campaign.

And, it wasn't really what some mis-labeled as a "Super Tuesday", a term historically used for Presidential Elections.

Pointing this out, Rachel Maddow (Love Her), instead, called it "Really Good/Pretty Good Tuesday" throughout her coverage.

I voted. (Hope you did, too!)

Then, I stayed up late watching Rachel's election results coverage. The last local mention I'd seen was that Prop. 16 was losing... though not by much.

The next morning, on "Bleary-Eyed Wednesday"... I hopped out of bed and onto the internet in search of the Prop. 16 Official Results...

Strangely enough... the results of the vote didn't pop-out right away. They weren't on the homepages for a few local news station websites - well, at least not the Propositions.

And then, I found it...

Oh Beautiful, Happy Day!

Somewhat remarkably, PG&E's deceitful, democracy-damaging, $46 Million Proposition 16 Campaign had gone down in Flames of Defeat!

Approximately... The No Votes: 52%. The Yes Votes: 48%.

(I later found out that the vast majority of the more TV ad gullible folks live in Southern and Central CA. ie - San Bernardino County. Thanks, CA Dept. of Elections website.)

This, my fellow Californians, was an upset of Biblical Proportions!

"David Slays Goliath... Again!"

That said, in the Republican Primary for the Governor's Race, the choice was, unfortunately, between two evils.

And, one of those two evils, Meg Whitman - unqualified, unsuitable, inexperienced and unPR-savy as she could be - sank $71 Million (not a typo) of her own fortune into a barrage of attack ads against her opponent, Steve Poizner, the CA State Insurance Commissioner.

And, Whitman won. (Ugh.)

But, hey... No worries whatsoever!

November's a long way's away.

And, the Honorable Mr. Jerry Brown will be the Democratic Party's candidate for Governor.

He's experienced... Heck, he's already been Governor of California... you can't get more qualified/better experience for the office than that!

Also... Let's remember: One battle at a time.

In the big picture, in This Battle... Californians Won!

As I had stated in a variety of items that I posted:

"PG&E can take their $46 Million and shove it!"

"You (PG&E and anyone else) cannot buy our Democracy!"*

*Unless you're Meg Whitman, have $100's of Millions in a vast personal fortune, are bound and determined to buy your way into elected office and are damn lucky.

Albeit such an unfortunate result is only a one-time thing.

And, putting all her eggs (and her $71 Million) into this Primary was Meg's one-shot, Thankfully.

We can all hope...

We can also actively organize; volunteer; contact friends, family, neighbors; form groups in our communities; post videos; create webpages; dig up dirt on ol' Meg...

We can do Everything we Californians did to Successfully Defeat PG&E, Defend our State Constitution and our Democracy from a corrupt, corporate take-over, and then some.

We defeated PG&E, people.

We Can Do Anything!

Peace.
L.

Vote 2010: California Proposition 16 and Proposition 17: Just Say No Way!

... Surprise!
Yes, I'm back.
I do apologize for being MIA for however long it's been.

And, because You're Worth It, rather than offering an explanation...
I prefer to offer something much more worth your time and attention...

The Truth, The Whole Truth & Nothing But The Truth.
And, What A Timely... Nay... What An Urgent Truth At That.

And what is The Truth, you might ask?

The Truth, dear friends and neighbors is this...

PG&E is at it... Again!

And, as hard as it may be to believe... this time, it's even worse.

In the past, when the visionary concept of "Public-Owned/Locally-Produced Power" had successfully reached inclusion on the list of Propositions to be voted on by Californians... In the months prior to the day when people would be heading to their polling places, PG&E would spend tens of millions of dollars on a perpetual barrage of slick TV-ad campaigns and glossy mass-mailings - all of which had been finely-tuned and choreographed by PG&E's well-paid sound-bite/spin-meisters.

Without hesitation, PG&E spent truckloads of money on these guileful commercials.
Their self-serving goal being this: to convince California's Public-at-Large that "Public Power" was "Public Enemy #1".

And sadly, at each of those times, their mega-million dollar mis-information campaigns worked.

You'd think PG&E would be content with that kind of record.

They're not.

Nope... Not PG&E ("Pathological Greed & Exaction").

In this, their most recent Anti-Competition Campaign, the monstrous power-monopoly has actually spent $35-$45 million in an attempt to convince Californians to vote In Favor a Proposition... Proposition 16, to be exact.

The difference between then and now is this:
Proposition 16 - referred to as "The Taxpayer's Right To Vote Act" in the TV spots - was written and created by PG&E!

Please don't be fooled by the indignant cries - not coming from concerned Californians, but from Paid Actors - of:
"And, we don't even have the right to vote on it!".

Hooey!

I've studied the situation.
I've done my due diligence of Following The Money:
Finding out who paid to saturate the airwaves with the ads.
Figuring out who has the most to gain if Prop. 16 passes.

And, yes, there is a conspiracy going on here.
But, it's not the government power-grab conspiracy that PG&E wants you to believe.
It's actually just another PG&E Power-Grab.
A Corporate Conspiracy to change California's State Constitution to fend off the threat that the increasingly popular public power-option and green-energy will likely be to their monopoly and their mind-boggling profits.

My fellow Californians:
Please don't let PG&E get away with pulling the wool over people's eyes again.

Please talk with your friends and neighbors about The Truth.
Prop. 16 was written by PG&E.
Passing Prop. 16 would only serve PG&E by re-writing California's State Constitution to prevent the utility having to face competition from other energy providers and (gasp!) offer more competitive rates to customers.
It would perpetuate their massive fossil fuel-based energy monopoly, their virtually non-existent green-energy development and their perpetually rubber-stamped rate increases.

Spread The Good Word:
PG&E Can Take Their $35-$45 Million and Shove It...
Our Democracy Is Not For Sale!

Vote NO On Proposition 16!

Peace,
L.

Enjoy this great article on the issue from The San Francisco Bay Guardian:

From: The San Francisco Bay Guardian Newspaper

The Danger Of Propositions 16 and 17
04.20.10 - 1:28 pm
Guardian Staff Writers

"The problem here is not just two awful laws - it's the idea that a single company, with loads of cash, can utterly subvert the basic premise of Democracy."

EDITORIAL:

The California Democratic Party voted at its statewide convention April 17 to oppose Propositions 16 and 17.

The San Francisco Chronicle — no friend of public power and consumer rights — endorsed strongly against both measures April 18.

In fact, most major newspapers and civic groups have come out against what amounts to the most blatant attempt in California history by a pair of big corporations to buy favorable legislation at the ballot box.

And for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Mercury Insurance, none of that matters much.

This campaign is all about money — big gobs of money — and PG&E and Mercury have it and their opponents, so far, don't.

And if that doesn't change in the next few weeks — if Democratic Party leaders, starting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer — don't immediately start making the defeat of these two measures a priority, California will send a signal to every big corporate interest in the world that its laws and policies are for sale.

Proposition 16 is being sold — in slick TV ads and mailers so deceptive they can only be called intentional lies — as giving the voters the right to have a say before local government gets into the business of selling electricity. The proposition, one PG&E flyer notes, "is our best protection against government spending your money to get into a business they [sic] know nothing about."

Actually, government knows a lot about the electricity business.

All over California, public power agencies offer better service and lower rates than the private utilities (see: PG&E).

Nationwide, residents of more than 2,000 communities have public power — and few want to give it up and return to buying electricity from private utilities.

But that's not the point. Prop. 16 exists entirely because PG&E wanted to stop competition.

PG&E has spent at least $35 million of its money to pass a law that would require a two-thirds vote (a nearly insurmountable obstacle) before any local agency can offer or expand local electricity service.

The Chronicle, which has always opposed public power in San Francisco, argues that "Californians should be skeptical of any local government's claim that it can deliver cheaper and cleaner power than an established utility. But they should be at least as wary when that monopoly utility wants to deprive them of that choice."

Proposition 17 is another blatant single-interest measure, sponsored and underwritten entirely by one giant insurance company, to change the way car insurance is regulated in California.

It would, among other things, allow insurers to raise rates for people who don't already have coverage. Give up your car for a year (because you lost your job and couldn't afford it, or decided that you could commute just as well by bicycle, or for any other reason) and the next time you buy insurance, your rates could soar — even if your driving record was clean.

The problem here is not just two awful laws — it's the idea that a single company, with loads of cash, can utterly subvert not only the intent of California's initiative law but the basic premise of Democracy.

PG&E and Mercury were unable to get the state Legislature to do what they wanted, so they hired campaign consultants, paid millions for people to gather signatures on petitions, put the self-serving measures on the ballot, and are now flooding airwaves and mailboxes with well-crafted, effective lies.

If they succeed, what's going to stop every other sleazy big-money interest from doing the same?

Well, right now, nothing.

It's absolutely critical, both for the issues of public power and consumer rights and for the fundamental notion that you can't simply buy a new law, that Props. 16 and 17 are defeated.

But we're not seeing a lot of evidence that any of the most influential people in California are taking this seriously.

State Sen. Mark Leno has done tremendous work in getting the state party to oppose Prop. 16. Assembly Member Tom Ammiano has been working nonstop in Sacramento to try to get some money into the No on 16 coffers. San Francisco Sup. Ross Mirkarimi has led the statewide organizing efforts. And San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera joined a lawsuit to invalidate the law.

But in all the speeches and public statements that Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Attorney General Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. candidates Janice Hahn and Gavin Newsom, party chair John Burton, and others delivered at the state party convention, there was nary a mention of the fundamental importance of voting NO on 16 and 17. None of the people who are capable of raising millions of dollars, the sort of money needed to defeat these measures, is making much of an effort to do it.

Propositions 16 and 17 can be defeated.

All it takes is a massive campaign to educate voters in a low turnout election about what these two measures actually are.

But if the state's political leaders allow these two measures to pass, California in 2010 will go down in history as the most corrupt and ungovernable state in America.

And it's very close to happening."

San Francisco's/California's Brilliant & Influential Movers & Shakers:

* Speaker Of The House, Nancy Pelosi's, San Francisco Congressional Office Address:
90 7th Street, Suite 2-800, San Francisco, California 94103.
The phone number: 415-556-4862.

* Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein:
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 393-0707
Fax: (415) 393-0710

* Office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100
(202) 224-0454 fax

* Attorney General Jerry Brown:
California Department of Justice
Attn: Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
(916) 322-3360 or (Toll-free in California) (800) 952-5225
Fax: (916) 323-5341

* Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 554-6141
Fax: (415) 554-6160
Email: gavin.newsom@sfgov.org

* Janice Hahn
Lieutenant Governor 2010 Committee
5353 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 109
Los Angeles, CA 90036
email: janicehahnforlg@gmail.com

HAIGHT STREET MONSTER GIRLS Indie Film Fundraiser Tues 10/20 Annie's Social Club * San Francisco!

(*I Auditioned For And Have Been Cast As One Of The Haight Street Monster Girls! See You At Annie's! ~ L.)

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20TH
A Fundraising event of Monstrous Proportion!

FUNDRAISER FOR THE INDEPENDENT FILM: HAIGHT STREET MONSTER GIRLS
"we don't play with dollies because monsters are much better"

HAIGHT STREET MONSTER GIRLS & DRUNKEN MONKEY Present:

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE
(just the best darn bluegrass band in all of monstertown)
Belly Dancing by blackhoodygrrl
Drunken Monkey Bread served by Brie Wyrd
Monster Karaoke in the Back Room - Hosted by Medusa

$1 Hamms Beers - Free Pool
Raffle, Door Prizes & More!

live at Annie's Social Club
917 Folsom (5th & Folsom)
for a special edition of Country Monkey
$5-15 suggested donation at the door

RAFFLE PRIZES TO INCLUDE:
$100 Gift Certificate for a TATTOO from Kevin @ Cold Steele
A Gift Certificate good for ONE PIERCING from Cold Steel
4 Free Passes to THE RED VIC MOVIE HOUSE on Haight Street
A $20 Bar Tab @ BENDERS
And more more more!

FUNDRAISER FOR THE INDEPENDENT FILM
HAIGHT STREET MONSTER GIRLS
"we don't play with dollies because monsters are much better"

http://www.facebook.com/homephp#/eventphp?eid=150578126066&index=1

Hurray For The 2009 San Francisco Bay To Breakers!

(From:www.ingbaytobreakers.com/.)

It was with a sizeable amount of dread that I anticipated this past weekend's 98th Annual San Francisco Bay To Breakers.

Basically, The Bay To Breakers is a Dual Event:

It's One Part Serious Foot Race.

Officially, it's a USA Track & Field Certified 12K Run.
From San Francisco Bay to The Breakers.

Originally called "The Cross City Race", it was first run in 1912 - a precursor to the world-class athletic events organized for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.

In that Inaugural Event, there were less than 200 participants. Robert Jackson Vlught was the first to cross the finish line, with a finishing time of 44 minutes and 10 seconds.

In recent years, it's been a safe bet that the Winning Woman Athlete and the Winning Male Athlete would be from Africa.

This year, 22-year-old Sammy Kitwara of Kenya was the first professional runner to cross the finish line. He set a course record, winning the seven mile race in an amazing 33 minutes, 31 seconds!

And, 26-year-old Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso was the first woman to cross the finish line - setting a personal best time of 38 minutes, 29 seconds.

I didn't know this until today, but the first place winners of the race each take home a prize of $25,000.

Another remarkable Evolution since the early days of the Race has Everything to do with the Second Part of this Event:

The Parade/Party Part.

The City knows to expect around 65,000+ registered participants... many of whom (individually and in groups) perennially invest a great deal of thought, time and work in the costumes they wear and the floats (yes, I said 'floats' - as in "Parade".) they display during the Race.

The City also knows to expect about 100,000+ jubilant, costumed (and frequently intoxicated) spectators annually. Kegs and open containers were abundant - that is, until this year's Event.

This year, the New Improvements/Enhancements included "Shared Enforcement of City Ordinances Regarding Alcohol" (open container and wasted-in-public): the "Leave No Trace" Statement/Keep Our City Clean (Dumpster locations were mapped.); Additional Port-A-Johns. Last Year's myopic 500-or-so didn't quite match the 165,000-or-so person Event. (Sigh...) It's ludicrous, but this actually needs to be said: "Just Because You Can Urinate/Defecate In Public Doesn't Mean You Should."

I am sincerely grateful to my Beloved City of San Francisco for finally setting a few new rules and regulations.

I have absolutely no problem with people stepping outside their usual Monday-Friday/9-5 comfort zones and - basically - Letting Their Freak Flags Fly. In fact, I'm all for it. And, I encourage them to Break Free and do so more than once or twice a year (the other oft-perceived 'safe' day to do so being All Hallow's Eve/Halloween.).

What I take serious issue with is what some of the colorful revelers would thoughtlessly do to our Beautiful & World-Famous San Francisco - particularly to Her Public Parks - along the Race Route.

After the 2008 Bay To Breakers, I headed to the Panhandle Park - between Oak Street and Fell Street - with Jessi the Dog...

What I saw when I looked into the Park from Oak Street made, I wanted to scream... I did scream, "Oh My F'g God!"

The Beautiful, Lush & Green Panhandle Park that I LOVE... the Park that countless men, women, children, tourists and dogs LOVE... was trashed beyond belief.

The word "TORNADO" came to mind - except that the trees were still standing. But, other than that, Park-wide swath of destruction looked the same.

My eyes welled up with tears.

It broke my heart that people could be so utterly thoughtless, callous and LAZY as to have left the Park looking like...

... Like the basement of a fraternity house after a three-day weekend beer bash.

I let Jessi run around - keeping a watchful eye on her - as I spent the next Two Hours picking up the trash and gathering together the recyclables left scattered helter-skelter by people who - at all other times - masquerade through Life as sentient beings.

At one point, I even had to call the Fire Department, because one particular group of Brainless, Beered-Up Bozoids had left a large, rectangular, aluminum tray - full of still-burning charcoal briquets on the grass... In the middle of a Park where people play Frisbee, catch, volleyball... where young children run around... and where people's beloved dogs run and play...

And, not one of them would ever expect nor would they want to suddenly set a foot or a tender paw down into a tray of red-hot coals!

I went to pick up the tray, found it was still Hot and that it was burning the grass underneath and around it. That's when I called the Fire Department.

I waited for them to arrive... I had to wait for them and direct them to its location. Otherwise, they would never have found the tray in the grassy and tree-lined Park.

Needless to say, I was cursing the lazy, liquored-up litterers. In fact, I cursed their incompetent parents for birthing them.

But, this year, it was Different...

Gloriously Different!

I don't know if it was the New Rules and Regulations...

Or, if it was possibly that the worst offenders died of alcohol poisoning since last year's debacle. :)

Again, I returned to the Park with Jessi the Dog. This time, I brought a large trash bag with me - just in case.

And - I am thrilled to say that the Panhandle Park survived this year's Bay To Breakers Bacchinalia with much less damage than last year.

Whew!

Thank You, San Francisco.

And, Thank You, Bay To Breakers Revelers.

You've restored some of my faith in Homo-Sapiens and their ability to choose to not be pathologically self-destructive.

Peace.

L.

Butt-Kicking/Crime-Solving SFPD vs. Haight-Ashbury Homeless (With Photos)

I was on the scene, with my trusty Kodak Digital Camera, as several officers working out of the San Francisco Police Department's Park Station coordinated their crime-solving and butt-kicking efforts and took down a hard-core, violent San Francisco crime boss.

Sounds Freaking Fantastic, doesn't it?

Had it actually happened, I'd have been first in line to shake their hands and salute each one of them.

Hell, I'd even call SFPD Chief Fong and insist that they all be given promotions.

If that was what they had actually done.

But, I was on the scene (with my camera) of a serious situation. Well, it apparently was serious enough to the officers involved that they felt it justified the presence of a total of Four SFPD Patrol Cars and at least Six Police Officers!

One would rightly think that such a sizeable show of uniformed force, firepower and - frankly - testosterone would indicate a tactical Police Response to something Big, like reports of "Shots Fired." or a Bank Robbery in progress, or - at least - a traffic accident with injuries.

But, this was not the case. Not by a long shot. And it isn't the first time. And, sadly, it won't be the last.

The events I witnessed took place a couple days ago. I was sitting at my computer, when I heard the sounds of a girl from outside my windows who was tearfully asking for her dog back. Hearing this, I assumed that some asshole had grabbed her canine companion. So, I got up and looked out the window...

I wasn't completely wrong. There was a girl sitting against the building across the street who was in tears.

I was a little off about the asshole, though...

I had underestimated the number of them. Eventually, a total of Six Armed Assholes were on the scene.

I talked with the girl yesterday. She told me what had happened.

It had been raining all day. As she sat on the sidewalk, she had thoughtfully covered her two dogs with a tarp to protect them from the rain. At one point, she got up and crossed the street to get some water for them to drink. The first cops were on the scene as she got back. She returned to her dogs and one of the officers snarled at her, "Give me the dog.". She didn't know what was going on. He repeated his order, "Give me the dog!". She started to explain to them that she had only left them for a moment to go get them some water to drink. The officer didn't care, didn't want to hear any explanation, he just demanded she hand over the dog. She took the dog out from under the tarp and the officer took the dog and tied it - in the rain - to his patrol car's side mirror.

Initially, there had been a male friend of the girl's present, but the officers had threatened him and made him leave her alone with them after he challenged them loudly.
Something to the effect of: "Don't you have anything better to do? Aren't there any rapes or robberies going on that you could be stopping? Of course there are... and yet, you're Here!".

The Truth Hurts. And, apparently, when you're given a gun and a badge, you don't have to listen to it.

Anyway, there was the one red-headed officer who apparently had proclaimed himself Officer Asshole. The other five were there to... hmm... just in case... err... he needed 5 armed officers as backup because... Hell. There simply was Nothing going on that can justify the other five of them being there.

She was sitting against the building, hands at her sides, tearfully pleading with the officer to return her dog. To just let her hold it. But, red-headed Officer Asshole had a plan. To intimidate. To harass. To bully. He told the girl that he remembers seeing her and her dogs a year and a half ago. He then stated that he had wanted to shoot and kill one of her dogs back then. He said that he was sorry that he hadn't.

He was probably annoyed that he couldn't just kill her dog right then & there. But, in front of fellow officers... (actually, they'd probably back him up and say it was " a justified shooting", so) in front of civilian witnesses (Thank Gd there were civies around!) he might be chastised by the Police Commission... or (given their history) given a promotion.

(I remember several incidents a few years back, where some SFPD officers had shot several homeless peoples' dogs. I personally knew three of the homeless people whose dogs were shot & killed in front of their owner's eyes, with no just cause. These dogs weren't aggressive, ever. Adding insult to excruciating injury, a couple of their owners were detained briefly after the shootings and then released without charges. No explanation. No Apology. Nothing - but the body of their formerly unconditionally-loving, warm and lively and now bloody, cold and lifeless companion.
*To the SFPD Officer(s) who were involved in those callous murders of the dogs: May You Get What You Truly Deserve. To the Officers who just looked the other way... Shame On You and the Parents Who Stuck Us With You.)

Back to The Current Incident:
Both of the girl's dogs are registered. She showed the officers that she had their rabies vaccination tags clipped to her belt. She obeyed the laws. Her dogs were legal, vaccinated & registered.

So, again, I ask: WHY The Over The Top Show Of Force?

Obviously, she wasn't a dangerous criminal. Obviously, she wasn't abusing her dogs... In fact, she takes excellent care of them. They are registered. They've been vaccinated.

So, what was the justification for that pronounced Police Presence?
What did Officer Dog-Hater do? He ran her name... but, that's just GP (General Practice) for the SFPD when they identify someone as 'homeless'. They couldn't give her a Citation (I can hear them realizing this, now: "Damn It! She already has them Registered! We can't ticket her for it! How am I gonna make my Quota?)

So, in the end, all of this taxpayer paid Police Presence resulted in... What?
A scared dog. Another victim of SFPD Police Brutality/Psychological Torment. Anyone committing a crime elsewhere in the neighborhood at the time likely got away with it. And... Oh, yeah... Six Police Officers who stealthily avoided doing REAL POLICE WORK while still Getting Paid.
("Police Work" i.e. Activities Like Investigating Crimes; Cultivating Relationships With The Public; Protecting Civilians From Violence and Threats of Violence.)

If a "Picture Paints A Thousand Words" - Here's the story in Pictures:

ONE SFPD PATROL CAR:


PLUS TWO MORE SFPD PATROL CARS:


MAKING THE FRIEND LEAVE HER ALONE:


"WE'VE GOT HER SURROUNDED."


"DID YOU CALL FOR BACK-UP?
"

"WE HAVE A SITUATION."


Facing the girl - below - is Officer Asshole (The one who made a testicle of himself and Who has a hard-on To Shoot And KILL Her Dog.)
This gun-toting 'public servant' is targeting our most-vulnerable citizens - the Homeless and their dogs - with his mental/emotional issues. He's in Acute need of an Independent Psych Evaluation.


As for the other uniformed/armed 'rubber-neckers', they're in need of refresher courses in 'Police Work' (W/emphasis on both Human Rights and How To Tell The Difference Between A Criminal and A Civilian.)

Stand Up & Speak Out Against Police Brutality In All Its Forms!
Peace.
L.

Shake & Wake Earthquake: I Feel The Earth Move and Jessi Sleeps Through It

(Photo from: USGS)
Fault scarp of the Calaveras Fault in San Felipe Valley in the Diablo Range. The lone Oak Tree provides scale for this nearly 4 meter (12ft.) high fault scarp.

It's Monday... A little after 10am...

So?... And Your Point Is?...

I'm still warm, cozy and barely semi-conscious under the covers of my bed.

The hustle and bustle of people and vehicles outside my windows is slowly but surely growing louder... I smile to myself... I've lived here long enough that I've fine-tuned my ability to block the daily cacophony out.

I cautiously peek out towards the windows... Ouch! My mistake... Brilliant, blazes of sunlight are streaming through the gaps in the tops of my curtains (although, mercifully, missing me entirely) and striking the far top walls of my room.

I move my leg and feel Jessi The Dog curled up and sleeping on my right side, towards the foot of the bed.

I smile and close my eyes again....

Moments later I'm awakened by the sharp Flap!... Flap!... Flap! sounds of Jessi violently shaking her head. I recognize this sound as one she makes when her ear is tickling her. I turn to face her and rub her ear for a few moments as she leans into my kneading knuckles. When she's had enough, she turns her back to me and flops down to go back to sleep (You're Welcome.).

I turn around so my back's to her and - feeling confident that I can fall back asleep - I close my eyes and begin to drift off...

I've barely gotten cozy again when I'm jerked back to full-consciousness...

I haven't opened my eyes, but I'm awake... and I can feel my bed moving... jerking... And, it's isn't the little Bump...Bump! disturbance that I've come to recognize as a passing MUNI bus hitting just the right spot out on Haight Street.

My first thought was that Jessi The Dog was causing the shaking. Sometimes, if she sits up and scratches her ear with a hind paw while I'm laying down - it makes the bed shake.

I open my eyes as I lift my head just high enough to see Jessi... whom, to my growing surprise, is still laying with her back to me... still fast asleep.

(Huh?!)

I'm semi-awake and slightly puzzled... Maybe I was imagining it? I laid my head back on the pillow to check for movement...

Not only was my bed still noticeably jerking back and forth... It was doing it harder...

And, then, I heard two unmistakeable sounds that I immediately recognize as all-too-familiar earthquake sounds:

1.) The walls of my room began to audibly creak with the jerking motion I was feeling through the bed
and
2.) A solid wood table that my TV sits atop started to creak along.

For some unknown reason, in spite of the fact that I was now fully-awake and fully-aware that we were having an earthquake, I felt completely free of fear, panic and anxiety.

I sat up and looked at Jessi laying in serene slumber - just as the shifting plates of Mother Earth gave one hearty "Happy Monday" shove-off... followed by movement of quickly decreasing intensity... until I felt nothing but stillness once more - My Amazing Dog: She slept right through it all. (Good Dog!)

I climbed over Jessi and reached for the TV's "On" Button.

The epicenter was about 11 miles from a town called Morgan Hill.

Estimated between a 4.4 and 4.6 on the Richter Scale.

No, it definitely wasn't The Big One That We Know Is Coming... It's Really Coming!... It Could Happen!... Any Day (or Night) Now!... Causing - Within Seconds - Massive Destruction, Interrupted Communication, Power Outages and Fires!...

...Or Not.

No. I am not making light of it.
(But, I am making fun of it.)

It's a serious and ever-present threat for those of us who find ourselves in The Golden State.

But, I enjoy a certain degree of security in knowing that my Beloved Home is @ 100yrs. old. She not only survived The Great Earthquake and subsequent firestorms... She survived the 1960's and every quake/movement since. (Thank Goodness!) and She sits on solid ground/bedrock - unlike the Ritzy(See: $$$.) Marina District or Embarcadero.

My parents have long told me that, "Little earthquakes are good. Really! They allow the built-up pressure to be released that otherwise would be held back and built up until there was a Great Big Earthquake."

Hmmm...

Sounds logical... Yes, I find it somewhat comforting... But, is it True? I don't know.

What I do know is this:

If You Are Interested in Finding Out How To Prepare For/Respond To/Recover From an Earthquake or Any Number of Potential Disasters...

There's Helpful and Trustworthy Information on 'How To Prepare' and 'What To Do If' in many different and difficult situations at 72hours.org.
(It's designed for San Franciscans, but there's a link at the bottom of the page for other Bay Area Counties.)

Peace.
L.

P.S.~
I actually wrote this Blog just after the event. I was just Previewing it when we experienced a Blackout on Haight Street.
So, my Blog and all the shop interiors were thrust into darkness. Sadly, I hadn't saved it, so when the power returned - my Blog did not.

I do not believe the earthquake and the blackout were connected in any way. They happened a few hours apart and only Haight Street seemed to be affected.

One of my astute neighbors - when I asked if he knew the cause of the 1-2hr. power failure - said this:

"Incompetence."

'nuff said.
L.

Schumer Declares His Support for Same-Sex Marriages

In the heartbreaking aftermath of the passing of Proposition 8 (which would ban same-sex marriage by changing the CA State Constitution) - the State Supreme Court is expected to decide whether Prop. 8 simply amended the state Constitution or revised it and, regardless, numerous legal battles are lining up - hearing that N.Y. Senator Charles Schumer publicly announced on Monday that he now supports gay marriage is a welcome relief and encouraging development.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's assertive and unapologetic action calling on City Hall to provide marriage licenses for same-sex couples was a move that could have been potentially disasterous - as far as any ideas that Mayor Gavin may have been entertaining about replacing The Governator.

Although I personally don't care for him as our Mayor, I was pleasantly surprised by Gavin's enlightened and passionate support for same-sex marriage. It was most unfortunate that the anti-equal protection/pro prop. 8 lobby raised enough money to saturate commercial TV - both day and night - with a merciless barrage of ads that used a video clip of Mayor Gavin in one of his less than democratic-sounding moments to rally support for it's dogma of discrimination.

The so-called 'Civil Unions' that some wishy-washy people declare as being 'as good as being married' are actually a weak facsimile. They do not guarantee the Same Rights, Protections and Priviledges as Marriage.

The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from denying any person the equal protection of the laws.

For me, same-sex couples' ongoing struggle to secure their equal rights recalls another long and hard struggle that was finally won in 1967:

"I think marrying who you want is a right no man should have anything to do with. It's a God-given right," - Mildred Loving.

In June 12, 1967, the Landmark Supreme Court Decision in
Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage across the country, striking down anti-miscegenation laws in Virginia and 15 other states.

(Even after the decision, the unenforceable laws remained on the books in a number of states — South Carolina only removed
theirs in 1998, and Alabama's ban lurked around until 2000!)

That you, as an American, have the right to marry the person you love, regardless of race is Constitutionally-protected and recognized nationwide.

I'm eagerly anticipating the moment - May It Be Soon - when same sex couples are finally granted what should already be theirs...
Equal Rights and Constitutional Protections that are nationally-recognized.

Peace.
L.

(From: nytimes.com)



Schumer Declares His Support for Same-Sex Marriages

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 23, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senator Charles E. Schumer said on Monday that he now supports gay marriage.

“It’s time. Equality is something that has always been a hallmark of America and no group should be deprived of it,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement. “New York, which has always been at the forefront on issues of equality, is appropriately poised to take a lead on this issue.”

The gay rights group Empire State Pride Agenda said that Mr. Schumer expressed his views at a dinner on Sunday with the organization’s executive director and others.

Mr. Schumer previously supported civil unions, which give same-sex couples some of the same rights as married couples. In 1996, he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that forbids federal government recognition of same-sex marriages.

Three openly gay New York Assembly members, Micah Kellner, Deborah J. Glick, and Daniel J. O’Donnell, said they attended the meeting with Mr. Schumer and were pleased to hear his new position.

Mr. Kellner, a former aide to Mr. Schumer, said Mr. Schumer did not just express mild support.

“This was, ‘I’m going to be out front and take the lead on these issues,’ ” Mr. Kellner said.

New York’s other senator, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, also supports gay marriage, as does Gov. David A. Paterson. Both are Democrats.

Mr. Schumer is up for re-election next year.

If It Walks Like A Duck... Then, No... I'm Not Looking For Pot.

One of many great advantages I've discovered about Blogging:
An acute case of laryngitis doesn't have any deleterious effect.

Ahh... Life in the microcosm that is Haight Street...

In the wee hours of last night... or perhaps it was later (earlier?) than that...

And, I am startled to semi-consciousness by an all to familiar CRRAASSHH!... Preceded by a nanosecond by the screech of wheels... and followed by the scraping SSMMAACCKK! sound of bare metal impacting the concrete of the sidewalk and accompanied by the multiple notes of the widely-scattered tinkling of now-exploded and jagged shards of glass.

No. It wasn't what you might think. There was - thankfully - no car/bus/motor- or bicycle accident. (Though there have been plenty of those.)

No, these were the sounds of a late-night, beer-buoyed, independent, glass bottle recycler's overloaded metal shopping cart suddenly (and very loudly) biting the dust and spewing its bounty of bottles - now in the form of jagged chunks, shiny shards and tiny slivers - across a wide swath of both sidewalk and street.

Previous experience has taught me to already know what was coming next... The explosive SSCCRR-BBLLAAMM! which would smash through the quiet - amplified by the soundwaves bouncing off of the the buildings - every time a late-night delivery truck, N-Owl Muni bus or slow-cruising taxicab determinedly stalking its prey - rolled a heavy, black tire (or two) over the larger chunks of glass. This was because the passing pissed person - who only moments earlier would have done whatever he deemed necessary to protect the catch in his cart from any would-be marauders - now couldn't be bothered to pick up the pieces. No, the broken bottles were now so much spilled milk. And now? Now, he had to put pedal to metal and work to replace the loss. So, off he went... with the rattling and clinking of his now much more-manageable shopping cart of bouncing bottles trailing off as he searched for more treasure.

As someone with a canine companion, I cringe whenever I hear these sounds.

It boggles the mind how many otherwise seemingly coherent/fully-functioning people apparently see no problem with dropping/throwing/breaking bottles on our sidewalks and in our Parks... and then... nothing - they just depart for whatever it is that their mysterious thought processes proclaim is 'important', 'worthwhile' or simply 'fun'... and - without any misgivings - they abandon their contribution to the community: jagged chunks, many-pointed pieces and razor-sharp slivers scattered across the ground we all walk on. All of us. Some with two feet - usually with shoes on, but not always... some can't afford them. Some with four feet... well, Paws, actually - almost exclusively without shoes. No Nikes... Just pads of soft skin and tufts of fine fur... Nothing that - in any way - is able to cross paths with broken glass and... forget walking away the 'winner'... in fact, in many cases you can forget walking away altogether!

In spite of my constant vigilance when out with my dog... Jessi has stepped on broken glass at least three times. When it happens, she instantly starts favoring a paw. Since she's a bouncy one, depending upon her level of pain, it can be hard to tell if something's happened or not. If she's in acute pain, she'll stop doing doggy things and stop walking - other than coming to me, leaning against my legs and not moving. If I even have an inkling that something's up - I'll immediately stop, kneel next to her, lift each paw and carefully and gently check each pad and in between... twice.

On two occasions, I was able to remove the painfully paw-piercing piece. The third time, we were four blocks away from home and, suddenly Jessi pressed against me and wouldn't budge. She maintained a look directly into my eyes - something she NEVER does - and I knew. I checked her paws twice... nothing. I stood up and... Jessi wouldn't budge. I checked her paws again - this time with a flashlight - and found a small hole with a ring of blood around it. Whatever she had stepped on had pierced the skin pad, gone into it and disappeared. No wonder she wouldn't move.

If you've ever stepped on a piece of glass/a sliver of wood/a toothpick or anything sharp and felt it slice open and tear into the tender skin on the sole of your foot... you might empathize. And, hopefully, you would never be so heartless as to leave anything so menacing in your wake (Especially in Parks, where such hazards are multiplied as they are then hidden by dirt and grass.).

But, I digress.

The whole jacknifed shopping cart, bottle spillage and the menacing mess left behind had an encore performance earlier this evening - different cart, more bottles, more foot-flaying flotsam left behind. Although - to the careening cart-driver's credit - he did make an effort to pick up some of the bigger chunks of glass. Unfortunately, he then tossed them on top of the bottles remaining in the cart, where they shattered even more, and the shards and slivers rained back out through the ribs of the cart. Pure Genius.

With this menacing, if not colorful mess growing, I grabbed a broom, dustpan and paper bag. Passers-by had a variety of reactions to me. Some looked confused. Some looked amused. (Most of these appeared to be shoppers, diners, couples, groups of friends.) Passing cars slowed to a crawl. Some (those with dogs and/or who live outdoors) smiled and said "Thank You." and/or "You Rock." One man in particular stood out among them all. I'd already spent about 20 minutes on the clean-up (There was a lot of glass.) and was nearly done when he walked by. "How much do you get paid to do that?", he inquired. "I don't.", I replied matter-of-factly and mildly annoyed at the question. Since when must someone get paid to do the right thing? "You're not getting paid?", he seemed incredulous. "Then, what are you doing it for?, he continued, Are you looking for pot?"

I kid you not. He really asked me this.

Now it was my turn to be incredulous. I stopped sweeping the now sizeable pile of glass chunks and litter - all of it thoroughly wet and covered in grime, took a deep breath, looked at him and spoke slowly: "No. I'm not looking for pot. I'm sweeping up broken glass (apparently the broom, dustpan and jagged chunks weren't a dead giveaway after all). I have a dog and many people around here have dogs. I'm sweeping up broken glass so that none of them step on it and cut open their feet." (Simple, concise and to the point, I thought... that, and I hadn't even hit him with the broom.)
His reply?
"Oh. Okay. I get it."

Moral Of The Story:

Well, there are two. One is Practical. One is Philosophical.

First, the practical one: Clean up after yourself... And, if it's within the realm of your means and ability... Be The Change You Want To See and Clean Up the mess left by those whose only Contribution to our Shared Environment will be as Fertilizer. (Especially in your own community. Hopefully, doing so will inspire copycats.)

Secondly, the Philosophical: Found in this Blog's Title, which says...

"If It Walks Like A Duck..."
... Then, No... I'm Not Looking For Pot.

Peace.
L.

Join the SFPD: Great Job Security. Get Paid to Assault Civilians.

How's Friday Treating You?
However it's been, it's surely been a Cake Walk compared to the Friday experienced by a young SF musician who goes by the name "Ashtray".

It was a beautiful day here in San Francisco, today.
A little on the Excessively Bright and Sunny-Side for myself... but, I know most people enjoy that sort of thing much more than I.

I worked on my eBay listings and then gathered Jessie the Dog and headed towards the Panhandle Park. When we were leaving, I found a handwritten note - in all caps - that said, "THE COPS BEAT UP MY BROTHER HERE". Curious, but not surprising. I didn't think too much of it at the time and we continued towards the Park. Thankfully, we found plenty of shade under the trees. There were people who were laying out in the sun, others playing with their dogs, joggers, cyclists, a few older and several young people who live outdoors... one of these young men was playing guitar and singing pleasantly.

One of the street kids who knows me approached... "Did you hear what happened?", he asked. "Oh, Gd.", I thought. After living in the Haight-Ashbury for several years and doing a lot of homeless youth outreach work from my own resources, I've come to hate that innocent question and every variation thereof. It has all too often been followed up with the announcement of the sudden, unexpected, tragic and sometimes violent death of a young homeless boy or girl whom I'd known and developed a friendship with. A familiar, yet unwelcome, feeling of dread started to well up inside my chest. "You know Ashtray, right?", the young man continued. I started to scan the faces of the kids I know in my mind. My expression must have told him I wasn't sure. He continued, "He's got dreads and plays the guitar. He usually has a Grateful Dead shirt on. He often sits in front of your house and plays the guitar." "Shit!", I thought. Now I was really feeling bad about not being able to place the name and a face. I don't have the best memory for such things... I blame that getting-thrown-off-a-horse-and-hitting-the-ground-head-first incident that I've mentioned before.

The sweet young man continued, "Well, Ashtray was sitting in the front of Golden Gate Park playing his guitar and this cop came up to him and told him to "Get out of the Park!"." "Ashtray stopped playing and said "No, sir. I don't have to go anywhere. I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just playing my guitar."" Ashtray was probably frustrated at what was only the latest in a long and endless line of quality-of-life profiling and police harassment. "Suddenly the cop pulls out his night stick, swings and cracks Ashtray hard across the front of his face. Then, when Ashtray was down on the pavement, the cops began stomping him and kicking him really hard. (Apparently, a second cop was present and before long a lot of them showed up.) There's still a pool of Ashtray's blood on the sidewalk.". I was now concerned that Ashtray was dead. "Jeez! This happened in broad daylight?", I was incredulous. The young man nodded and said, "Yeah." "Is Ashtray OK?", I asked. "I don't know. They took him to the hospital. We're going to go see him right now.", and he motioned in the direction of St. Mary's Hospital on Stanyan Street - the closest. I then realized that several other homeless kids had gathered and were joining him. "I hope he's alright.", I said. "Give him my best.".



After this conversation, I no longer wanted to stay in the Park and play with the Dog. I dropped Jessie off at home and grabbed my digital camera. I had already decided to try to find out the name of the dkhead thug officer and to find the pool of Ashtray's blood and photograph it for this Blog.

I didn't find it on the first trip. There's a fair amount of ground to cover in the front of the Park and I hadn't gotten an exact location of where the incident took place.

As I ran a few errands in the neighborhood, I noticed something different. Carefully placed at various points along the sidewalks, taped to the sides of trucks parked along Haight Street and posted to blank sections of walls and storefronts were more and more of the handwritten signs on white paper - like I had found earlier. They said things like: "WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ASHTRAY?" and "WHEN ARE THE COPS GOING TO WAKE UP" with a Peace Sign on top. There was a huge sign on the sidewalk - propped up against the wall - in front of The Red Vic Movie Theater, written in black capital letters, on a piece of cardboard that was at least 3ft. long! It cried out for Justice and an end to Police Brutality. It mentioned starting a Revolution.

Wow... Something unusual is going on here. I mean, this certainly isn't the first case of SFPD brutality... and definitely not the first case of SFPD brutality against an unarmed homeless civilian who was doing nothing more than playing guitar in the Park when he was assaulted by a sociopathic cop.

What's different today is the response of the public. Lots of people are talking about it... Witnesses, residents, tourists... lots of them... and they are all horrified at what happened.

As awful as this assault must have been to Ashtray, at least the dickhead cop who beat him down and then kicked him repeatedly chose to commit this vicious crime in BROAD DAYLIGHT and IN FRONT OF MANY WITNESSES... several of whom VIDEOTAPED THE ATTACK.



Oh, as you can see above, I did go back and I found Ashtray's pool of blood. Several homeless kids were gathered around as if they were standing vigil. Someone had written "HEY YOU!" above the pool with an arrow pointing at it. Other writing encircled the bloodstain. Two SFPD officers - each on a bicycle - rode up to the scene, stopped and just stared for a minute. Someone asked about what happened and one of the kids standing there motioned towards the officers and said, "Why don't you go ask them." I began taking photographs with a flash. I would have taken the officers' photographs - I had a feeling they were trying to intimidate the people standing vigil - but, at this point they quickly left the scene.

I did find out the offensive and offending officer's name: It's OFFICER KELLY (sp?). He's out of Park Station. Caucasian. Average build. The Captain of Park Station is Teresa Bennett.

I can only hope that the witnesses come forward and file formal complaints.

If you witnessed this assault - or any assault by a Police Officer - Please File A Complaint!

I have done this a few times. At the very least, the incident/complaint will be noted in the officer's permanent file. We must document these assaults and identify these brutal rogue cops and press the Police Commission and the Mayor to FIRE THESE VIOLENT THUGS... and hopefully send them to PRISON... where violent thugs belong.

The SFPD should not tolerate cops who brutalize civilians nor allow them to remain in their ranks.

To do so only does damage to the reputation of the SFPD and damages its relationship with the public.

It also damages San Francisco and it's reputation around the world. Residents and tourists witnessed this assault and will undoubtedly return home and tell friends and family about it.

Oh...
What happened to the victim of this violent attack?
Ashtray is now in jail.
Is that fucked up or what?

Officer Kelly, consider yourself persona non gratia... We do.

As for me, I'm carrying my camera with me Everywhere... and I can't wait to catch you and/or your fellow gang members committing acts of brutality and then contact the local (and national) news with the story and photos, you pieces of shit.

Peace... to Everyone but them.
L.