SNL: Colin Jost in Weekend Update: Biden Calls for Background Checks

The "Other Guy" is G-O-N-E. 😂

And, I'm BAAAAAACK. 🤩❣️

Coincidence?  I think not. 🎉🍾🎊🎇🎸💖 

The sublime Colin Jost (co-host with Michael Che) in Weekend Update on last night's episode of Saturday Night Live:

"And, Republicans please stop pretending this is a Second Amendment issue, and just admit you love guns more than people you don't know.

These are your political ads.

You look like you're running for the president of ISIS.

If you actually cared about the Second Amendment, you'd care about the "well-regulated militias" part.

I don't know if you noticed - when they almost hung you two months ago - but our militias aren't super "well-regulated"."*

*The only thing I'd add: "BOOM." (mic drop)

We Have No Reason to Believe 5G Is Safe...

Beware of 5G, Peeps.

5G (for the 1st time) employs millimeter waves as well as microwaves.

Do you remember when the cell phone industry was declaring cell phones were absolutely harmless (because they were making $$$ hand-over-fist)?

Now... All cell phone manufacturers advise customers to NOT keep their cell phones in their pockets/on their person due to the increased risk of cellular damage/cancer.

(A "no-brainer" to me as the technology is microwave-based. i.e. Close proximity to cell phone boosters causes my skin to feel like I'm under an intense heat lamp)

From Scientific American: "... Short-term exposure (to 5G) can have adverse physiological effects in the peripheral nervous system; immune system and cardiovascular system. The research suggests that long-term exposure may pose health risks to the skin (e.g., melanoma), the eyes (e.g., ocular melanoma) and the testes (e.g., sterility)."

So, contrary to widely-held, yet, untested belief...

From: Scientific American...

We Have No Reason to Believe 5G Is Safe

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!

Oslo Norway Terror Attack: Right Claims 'Jihadists Did It!'. Perp Is Fundamentalist Christian. US Gun Lobby Doesn't Care

A heinous (and - contrary to Fox News/Murdoch's WSJ/Wash Post's J Rubin's claims - unconnected to Al Quaida/Jihadists) terror attack in Oslo, Norway at the hands of a native Norwegian Anti-Muslim Fundamentalist Christian (!) who bombed government offices, shot 68 people & left 98+ dead, has led to calls for Norway's police to be armed.

*A Simple Truth (recent events prove): Neither a lack of being armed (as in Oslo) nor a lack of restrictive gun laws (AZ/Gifford event - 6 were killed) guarantees anyone's safety.

Yet, despite this well-documented fact, the American gun lobby is now actively co-opting the horrific acts in Oslo as evidence to support their call for more guns and fewer (if any) restrictions on carrying them - even to the point of collecting signatures for current House (extremist) legislation ("national right to carry reciprocity act") that - if passed - would allow civilians to concealed-carry across state lines... Regardless of the second State's own laws.

Hello?  Congress?  GOP members of Congress?  Uh, what the heck happened to all your adamant promises of "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" - should you be elected?  Well, enough of you were (regretfully) elected and you've done what...?

Nope.  Not one (nor any) of you has proposed - let alone passed - a single, itty-bitty Jobs Bill.

You haven't even bothered to propose a pitifully-lacking, token-gesture, just-going-through-the-motions 'Jobs Bill'... not even one that includes riders for more tax cuts for your stunningly-wealthy friends, corporate campaign contributors and your trusty fellow wall-street weasels.

Huh?  Go figure... Maybe what they meant to say when they were campaigning was: "Jokes! Jokes! Jokes!", instead?

Psst... And, to all of the right-wing bobble-headed broadcast and print media wing-nuts who charged, blindly, whilst carrying their eternally-burning Torches of Bigotry onto the "The Jihadists did it!" Bandwagon with oodles of uniformed and passionately-ignorant gusto...

F.Y.I.: Neither convicted American terrorist Tim McVeigh nor "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski were Jihadists, either.

I have a question for those Not-Really "The News" people: If all of your 'friends' were to jump off the Empire State Building...

I hope you enjoy this brief clip from last night's (7/25/11) The Rachel Maddow Show (with guest host Melissa Harris-Perry).

From the Oslo, Norway (Fundamentalist Christian) Terror Attack to The US Gun Lobby's & Reactionary Congressional Right-Wingers' Self-Serving and Public-Endangering Response:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

SFSK8rGrrl & Her Trusty '87 Caballero Vs The Speeding SFPD Cruiser

Decidedly Not The Sort Of Thing That You Ever Want To See (Or Hear) Charging Towards You...
(*Please Note: This is not the one that nearly made me a wealthy hood ornament.)

Thought I'd Blog about my Near-Miss...
No. Wait a minute.
Wouldn't a 'Near-Miss', by definition, equate a 'direct hit'?
Hmmm...
Then, I would say it was an 'almost'...
Except for the "'Almost' only counts in hand-grenades and croquet" - thing.
Criminy!

I'll just tell you what happened a few nights ago that caused me - in an instant - to see, in my mind's eye, several variations of what my immediate future might be... all at once.
That... and it briefly left me a little on the shaky side with my pulse pounding like crazy in my chest...
But, on the bright side, the Adrenaline Rush it generated Kicked Ass!
(Don't let anyone ever tell you that a near-death experience can't have a Silver Lining.)

Anyway...

I had gone out cruising on my Powell/Peralta Dragons & Bats Board while the sun was still up in the sky. A few hours later, I decided to head home and I caught the N-Judah Light Rail back to Carl & Cole Streets from the stop at Church & Duboce (behind the behemoth Safeway on Upper Market St.)

I was wearing my 'second skin' - my beloved black leather motorcycle jacket to which I have added spikes and studs (I say 'Second Skin' because I rarely leave home without it.), black Tripp pants that ended just below my knees, Hot Pink & Black Rectors. (I don't have Carpal Tunnel. But, I've fractured my wrists more than once. Future-fracture prevention, road-rash prevention and the rock-hard, squared piece on the palm comes in handy whenever I need to let the occasional blind driver know that I see them - even if they don't see me.)

I admit it wasn't the best color choice for skateboarding at night, but, when I left, it was daylight. But, the pants and belt have a lot of polished silver things on them. A silver handcuff earring dangling from my left ear held a blindingly brilliant Red, White & Blue Strobe light. Jessi the Dog wears it most of the time - to be more visible. I borrow it when skateboarding after dark. And, of course, there's my glow-in-the-dark hair.

A Brief Aside Re: San Francisco's Criminalizing and just plain STUPID, Skateboard-Related Traffic Codes: I usually don't skateboard on Haight Street. Plenty of skaters do it, but I try to avoid it. Why? One of my ex-boyfriends - actually the one who introduced me to skateboarding and provided my first Caballero and Santa Cruz boards - was cited and had his skateboard confiscated by the SFPD for "skateboarding on the sidewalk"... even though he was neither "skateboarding" nor "on the sidewalk"! He had just exited the doors of the (now defunct) Cala Foods and was Standing Next to Me In Cala's Parking Lot. We tried to reason with the over-eager officer - Silly Us - he refused to hear Reason.

Several friends had their decks confiscated "For skating on Haight Street". There is a "No Skateboarding Permitted" Sign posted at Haight and Schrader. But, it's enforcement appears to be arbitrary. If you get caught - some officers will stop you, kindly inform you about the law and tell you to get off your board; some will glare at you with contempt, cite you and confiscate your board; and some will leave you alone... they are busy protecting and serving - the latter are my Favorites.

In San Francisco, it's also illegal to skateboard on many sidewalks. This law is Utterly & Unbelieveably STUPID! Think about what this means: It orders skateboarders to skate in the Street. The Streets of San Francisco. You know... alongside the 2+Ton Cars, Vans, Taxis, Pickup Trucks and the occasional 18-Wheel Semi. Vehicles often driven by people who are barely aware that there are other people present in other 2+Ton. Steel & Fiberglass, Enclosed Vehicles all around them... Do you honestly believe they're looking for individuals riding on sticks of wood with four wheels and No Enclosure? (Here's a hint: Ask a bicyclist.)

It's like ordering kids to "Go Play In Commuter Traffic". It's Vehicular Russian Roulette. Except it lacks the direct control of the gun, and - in lieu of bullets - shoots 2-ton automotive ammo.

Needless to say, since I stopped being suicidal/self-destructive a few years ago - I often skateboard the sidewalks. It depends on a few variables:
the condition of the surface vs that of the black-top, the density of pedestrian vs car traffic and if drivers indicate they are awake, alert and sane.

Back To The Incident...

So, I'm skating from Carl Street down Cole Street towards Haight. If I remember correctly, the curiously-named "Cole Valley" area - oddly enough, it's uphill from Haight Street - has signs that declare "No Skateboarding On The Sidewalks". Skate Here... Skate There... Don't Skate Here... Don't Skate There... My Side... Your Side... My Side... Your Side... (Sorry. FARSCAPE Reference.)

Fine With Me: I LOVE to Skate Cole Street! It's been re-paved recently and is pothole-free, offers a slight decline and is divinely smooooth all the way.

So, I'm dutifully skateboarding down Cole Street - in the street. I'm approaching the intersection at Frederick Street. I look to the left and right of Frederick. No cars on the left. On the right, I noted headlights. They seemed to be stopped/not advancing forward and were about 2 car-lengths away from the Stop sign. I figured it was safe to proceed through the intersection and did so.

When I reached the geographical center of the intersection, the quiet night air was suddenly filled with a terrible sound and I knew -
in that instant - that I was in immediate physical danger.

It was a sound that I recognized immediately. It was the low & rumbling, growing louder and accelerating roar of the amped-up engine of a police cruiser. I knew this... even before I glanced up towards my right and saw the black-and-white vehicle. (This was one of those extraordinary moments where so-called 'time' doesn't behave in the same linear fashion that it
might seem to when you aren't in immediate danger.)

There I was... on my skateboard... having just reached the point of being smack in the middle of the intersection...
And, here comes trouble... with his foot laying down the accelerator.

In spite of my nightmarish predicament, I remember being aware of a strange yet definite feeling of calm... I suddenly Really felt Myself in that moment... I could feel the coolness of the air on my skin; my field of vision included not just my right side and the approaching police car... but also the three approaches to the intersection (the fourth was behind me). I could see the
hill that the car had come down, the faraway onyx night sky above and the houses framing either side. It surprised me.

And, in spite of the spontaneous and clear, "Oh, F*ck!" that I uttered in my head at the instant that my mind put together the gutteral roar with the black-and-white... and I knew that the officer behind the wheel was pushing the accelerator, sending the speeding the car forward exponentially. I knew that he/she was likely thinking about their destination (in the direction of Park Station)
And I knew without any doubt that I was a pitiful few feet from the front grill of the car from whence that horrible sound originated.

I knew - in the same instant - that I was on target to become - in only a couple beats of my heart (if I carried out the unavoidable and momentary take-off and landing well) - an SFPD Hood Ornament. It seemed to take no more than two heartbeats for the police cruiser to travel from the Stop sign to me.

The Stop sign... Surprise! Surprise! They didn't stop at the Stop sign.
They didn't switch on the Colorful Beacon/Light Bar on top of the vehicle. Nor do I recall hearing any screeching or squealing - indicative of sudden braking.

I remember thinking, in this fleeting alternate universe, where seconds were stretched - like gobs of salt-water taffy, "They don't see me.".
I was at a virtual standstill on my skateboard - in the middle of the intersection...
El Diabolo/Toro is bearing down on me... roaring.
And, they have no awareness that I'm here.

Perhaps the strange feeling I experienced is the Calm that comes with the knowledge that what was happening was unavoidable... That, Death, in that moment, may be unavoidable... That - at that moment - As some Friends Tell me, "Whatever Is... Is."

I felt some small comfort when the officer driving - in the nanoseconds leading up to the moment they were going to hit me - seemed to finally see me. For, just before the car was going hit me, it swerved to the left - desperate to veer around me. There was virtually no room to manuever in - there were cars parked on Cole Street - all the way to the Stop sign on the corner (this may have contributed to the cruiser's driver not seeing me. Perhaps he was looking for headlights as I was.)
It wasn't much comfort because I felt that they weren't going to be able to avoid me. There didn't seem to be enough room. The police cruiser was coming much too fast.

After seeing all this, I glanced down my right side.
I saw Two Things:
My right hip and leg...
And... No more than 2-inches away from my leg - the jet black rubber frame of the cruiser's chrome bumper. My leg wasn't quite to the corner of the bumper. I was still in front of the car. I remember glancing on top of the front right corner of the hood... and (I had said 'carried out well' because) I decided that - when the car hit me - "F*ck the skateboard... I would aim to throw myself up and over the hood and towards street on the right side of the car.

At the same instant that I had looked down to see my leg inches from the car's bumper, I also made a desperate attempt to make a sharp, fast right turn on my skateboard - around that bumper and out from in front of the wheels underneath.
My Brilliant On-The-Fly Plan was this: Avoid Being Run-Over.

It's Amazing how fast your thoughts fly and how s-l-o-w-l-y 'time' struggles to crawl in these Death-Defying Moments.

And... I still don't know How it happened... But, the speeding police car that had - only a moment ago - been less than 2" from my right leg... didn't hit me.

From where I stood - in front of the car - it would have been simply impossible for me to get out of the way. It Was A Physical Impossibility! There wasn't 'time' for the cruiser to stop, there wasn't any room for them to steer around me without hitting another car, I wasn't going fast enough to get out of their way...
Any way I looked at it, it went against the laws of physics.

I continued on my skateboard in my original direction and I headed directly for the sidewalk on my right. I don't know if I was even breathing yet. I glanced behind me, towards the infamous intersection at Frederick Street and...
The police car was gone... no flashing lights... no squeal of car brakes... no apoplectic voice yelling at me over the PA system... Nothing... It was now just me, my Cab and the utterly still and quiet night.

My heart was pounding in my chest and in my ears. Having just defied the Laws of Physics and Death itself...
I was now trying to prepare myself for the coming onslaught: the return of the would-be Reaper/Police car... this time with light-bar flashing and the angry, booming voice over the PA system...
I got off my skateboard and continued walking along the sidewalk towards Haight Street. My rapid breathing mimiced a 100-yd dash runner.

I kept replaying the events of what had just happened over and over in my head, while simultaneously trying to think how best to deal with what I expected to be a Very Irate Police Officer...

Strangely enough, they never returned.

I was both relieved and surprised.

The SFPD officer in the speeding police car who - by all known physical laws - should have struck me in that intersection and who probably was close enough to me to identify my eye color... didn't Stop.

Nor did they come back to:
A.) See if I was O.K. or B.) Yell at me. or C.) Confiscate my Caballero. (Whew!)

When I reached my home, I set down my skateboard and blurted out, "He didn't even stop."... I was recovered from my miraculous experience of "evading high speed pursuit" and was now feeling rather incredulous.

When I told some friends what had just happened, they all asked me, "Did you get the number of the police car?". And I told them... "No. It happened too fast. I never saw the number. I never saw the driver. They didn't stop or come back."

They couldn't believe it, either, "You're kidding! They didn't stop?!".
"No.", I answered.

In spite of that... I'm just Thankful that I continue to be Blessed - when I find myself suddenly facing an event that could potentially end in either serious bodily injury and or Death - with this sort of outcome.

It isn't the first time that I've experienced such an inexplicable and impossible intervention...

Who knows? I may even share some of those stories with you... But, not here and not now.

Peace.

L.

Which Came First: The Mountain Lion or the Subdivision?

Oh No... Not Again...

...In the ad nauseum replayed words (...more or less) of Reverend Wright:
"No... Not 'God Bless 'Them'... 'God Dam* Them!...'".

Well...

Chalk another violent and unnecessary death of a Priceless and Incredibly Beautiful Wild Creature of Nature to those Stupid, Self-Centered, Brutal, Egomaniacal, Clueless, Self-Destructive... (...Nix that)... Globally-Destructive HOMO-SAPIENS!

(I'm a little annoyed.)

Why?

****BREAKING NEWS****

A big local News Event around here (San Francisco Bay Area) is the appearance of a mountain lion in a Hayward, CA residential area.

It's the second appearance of one of the big cats showing up amidst houses and fenced yards in two weeks.

The first wild wonder didn't fare too well.

It found itself cornered by the local police and.... Well, what else do the police do when facing a situation that's not in their handbook... it was shot to death in a barrage of handgun bullets.

My first thought was... "Where the hell were the Fish and Game people with their tranquilizer guns?"

Sadly - I've since found out - Fish and Game wouldn't have blinked.

With this new appearance-
The announcement heard on all the local news stations goes something like this:

"Another mountain lion was spotted in a Bay Area neighborhood yesterday. Fish and Game experts have been called in to set traps for the animal and residents have been told to stay in their homes, not to approach the cat if they see it and to call 911 if they do."

I have a few issues with these statements.

First:
What they don't tell you (and what I found when I looked at the video on the screen) is this...

The aforementioned "neighborhood" isn't a well-established, concrete jungle where the only 'wildlife' people "spot" are scavenging pigeons and the occasional rodent (usually around fast-food restaurant dumpsters)... No.

This is, apparently, a sparsely-populated outcropping of urban sprawl that's only just begun creeping into the rolling, green, tree-dotted hills that have been home to mountain lions and all kinds of wildlife for Hundreds of Years.

A Thump On The Head to whomever wrote that news script being recited.

If you looked at the video that the film crew shot...
You'd see that the TRUTH of the situation is NOT that the mountain lion (a 2-3yr. old 90-lb. male youngster) has wandered into our 'civilized' society... No.

The TRUTH is that the so-called 'civilized' society has wandered into the mountain lion's territory and is now crying "Wolf!"... or "Mountain Lion!"

And... What about Fish and Game?

Don't wait for them to come to the rescue of the poor creature.

They're gunning for it, too. Two baby goats are missing/assumed killed and the mountain lion is being blamed. For that reason, Fish and Game are planning on trapping it and then "euthanizing the animal". Fish and Game have been quoted as saying that, "Trapping and releasing the animal is not feasible."

"...Not Feasible?!"...

What the hell?

It only weighs 90-lbs.... I could move it!

The humans are the ones who are tresspassing in it's territory. This means that it can't be too far from home and they wouldn't have to go too far.

Which is EXACTLY why it showed up there...
And probably why they don't consider it "feasible" to release it back into the wild. People will be continue to tresspass further into the hills and continue to be shocked to find wildlife... So, why bother relocating it... It'll just end up in trouble again.

People keep moving into and claiming what were formerly wild-only areas and then act shocked and awed when the long-time residents come by to check them out.

Not only that, if they are raising small livestock in open, unprotected areas with no herding dogs to protect them...

Well, duh!... It's a Mountain Lion! You've moved your clan into where the big cat's relatives have been living, mating and hunting small, furry animals for generations!

Now... Who's the TRESSPASSER?

These Human-Wild conflicts are the perfect preface to a Serious Global Crisis that's been irking me for a long time.

Human Beings are quick to decide when, in their eyes, a population of a particular wild species has gotten too big and needs to be reduced. They then will either kill off a certain number of those animals themselves or let hunters do it.

They've missed one. The One Super-Sized Population that Human Beings urgently need to look at is their own. They need to recognize and admit that it's teetering on ridiculous... if not self-and-globally destructive and take decisive steps to begin controlling it.

Ignoring the immediate and urgent Global Threat is begging for big trouble.

People have started and will start wars for the planet's resources - especially the finite ones.

Shortages of Food; Clean, drinkable water; Healthy soil able to grow crops; Endless demands for Energy; Air that's safe to Breathe... We're only seeing the faintest of hints at what problems might develop... and the top contributor to these problems is uncontrolled human population growth.

Case in Point:
For example: When I see those obnoxious commercials from Christian Children's Fund... you know the ones... They are filmed in a poverty-stricken slum in Brazil. The kids are skinny and barefoot and digging through landfill... The old, white man on the screen is asking for you to help support one of the countless children in the same horrible predicament... Incredibly, at one point, he starts to refer to the potential child you send financial support to as, "... your child."... I hate that. It's manipulative and a lie.

I want to see Christian Children's Fund using some of it's resources to really help poor families and provide Family-Planning Information and Birth Control options to people who need it and/or don't have access to/can't afford it.

Here's my contribution: They can call it The Christian Condom Fund!

Oh, in another related item...

If you have to tell someone that they shouldn't approach a Mountain Lion, Grizzly Bear or any other Wild and Dangerous Animal... Humanity Does Not Need Them!

I'm not kidding. Whether or not it sounds harsh, it's the TRUTH.

Mother Nature, God or Who/Whatever Created All That Is... Included in Her/His/Their Creation a little Fact of Life called: "Survival of the Fittest". This is why carnivorous predators choose to hunt the weak members of a herd... A Bonus: It makes the gene pool of the herd Healthier and Stronger. A Win-Win situation!

Well-meaning and/or lawsuit-fearing human beings have totally screwed this part of the Divine Plan up.

I feel the same about safety labeling on things...

Like plastic bags...

If someone doesn't have enough common sense/survival instinct to know that a plastic bag is not a toy... We don't need them and we don't need their common sense-lacking genetic contribution in the gene pool.

(Please note: I am talking about adults, not children.)

Thanks... I've needed to get that off my chest for a long, long time.

Peace.
L.

HAPPY FRIDAY!



I just sent this letter to San Francisco's KRON 4 News Department.
I am going to send it to all of San Francisco's TV News Departments.

My motivation was one of those 'teasers' that was broadcast during a commericial break for a program I was watching recently.

This 'teaser' announced, to my great horror, that several women had been recently been attacked... and to "... stay tuned to KRON 4 News to find out what Bay Area Neighborhood" it was where Police were warning women about it.

...What the %@&!???

Um... Hello... KRON 4 News (and ALL News Departments!)!

When you recieve Official Police Reports of women or anyone in the community being attacked or assaulted... and the perv... perpetrator is still on the loose...

I want to know what you know... RIGHT NOW!!!

I Do Not want to have to wait for the next News broadcast. I do not want to have to wait for whatever reporter is assigned to the story to get around to telling me the details. (You know... you learned it in Journalism 101 class: Who? What? Where?, etc.) I want to hear what you could have and should have told me about it during the News 'Teaser'!

I know it's likely that the head of the News Department is a man...
But, still, he must have female relatives/friends...

Local TV stations are always doing things to promote themselves in the community.
Most recently, programming/commercial breaks have been interrupted by Live Reports from around the Bay Area that lasted for Several Minutes... For The Food Bank!

But, hey, receive a Police Report about multiple attacks on women... and use it as a 15-Second Teaser??

DON'T use a Serious and Immediate Public Safety Issue as a TEASER!

Use the damn resources available to the TV station to INFORM the Public and CONTRIBUTE to PUBLIC SAFETY in an Immediate and Worthwhile way.

This happened a week ago... and I'm still Angry.

But, I feel better now, Thank You.

Peace.
L.

An Open Letter/email:

Dear KRON 4/KRON 4 News Department:

Hello!

I am a frequent KRON 4 viewer. I've appreciated many of the locally-produced programs you have broadcast and I rely on KRON 4 regularly for national and local news information.

I am emailing you in regards to an issue of great concern to me (and, hopefully, to you as well): Public Safety.

In particular, the safety of women and girls in the beautiful Bay Area.

About a week ago, during a commercial break for a program that I was watching on KRON 4, there was a brief "teaser" for the local news show that was to follow...

In this "teaser", the speaker announced that the Police were warning women in "... part of the Bay Area..." to be alert because there had been several attacks. This frightening statement was followed by the instruction to watch KRON 4 News for further details "...next."

I completely understand the need to encourage/entice viewers to 'Stay Tuned' for upcoming programs. I understand that there are ratings and numbers that need to be reached.

But, I am afraid that - in using the unidentified Bay Area city's Police Department's warning about attacks on women as a 'teaser' - perhaps you don't fully understand how such an announcement affects the women who might hear it. (Actually, I hope that is the case, instead of the situation being that you do know and you intended to use the Bush Method of inciting fear to induce viewers to watch the News.)

Women and girls everywhere, to my great sadness, must be constantly vigilant and pay attention to their surroundings and who is around them to stay safe. (Ipods and MP3 players are a major technological impediment to women's safety... but that's another email.)

When your News Department or any News Department receives official reports from local authorities or Police Departments of attacks on women/girls/children/anyone... especially in instances where the suspect or suspects have not been caught/detained/arrested...

...This is a High Priority Public Safety Issue.

And, as such, I feel very strongly that the public needs to be immediately informed/warned.

Every television station has a responsibility (and, hopefully, a desire) to contribute positively to their community. And, with the resources available to them, they have the ability to help great numbers of people.

In an instance such as this - where women's safety and possibly their lives are known to be in serious danger - I feel that our community deserves more than a 'teaser' to "Stay Tuned for the local news."

In an instance such as this, at least in the future - for, tragically, we can be sure it will come up again - I implore you to take the socially responsible High Road and follow such an announcement with whatever pertinent details the authorities have provided to you. Not in half an hour, not in fifteen minutes, not in five minutes... Right at That Moment.

If it involves the Safety of Any Women... it affects Every Woman.

Please don't spend your resources to inform us enough to frighten all of us, leave us frightened and uniformed and, thereby, leave some women - in some unidentified Bay Area city - in immediate danger.

Please consider this when you receive official reports in the future.

Thank You.
L.
San Francisco