Cross posted at Happening-Here

I see that San Francisco’s finest have once again been caught doing what they too often do best: spreading their racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes out for all to see. The SF Chron reports that in addition to the offensive video clips found on an officer’s web site yesterday, the Christmas party film project also included scenes of “a black officer eating from a dog bowl and one of an Asian officer having difficulty riding a bicycle.” Nice fun and games those SFPD boys get into out in the Bayview, San Francisco’s last poor and gang-ridden Black neighborhood.

There’s more. . .

The local story broke into the NY Times which reports that, in addition admitting that video was “stupid and immature,”

Mr. [Gary] Delagnes of the [SFPD] union bemoaned the fact that “every lefty in San Francisco is going to love this.”

It is not surprising that Delagnes worries over the ammunition this latest police escapade will provide to critics of the SFPD’s more material faults, like occasionally shooting suspects. Before Delagnes attained his current eminence in the police union, he was at the center of quite a few shenanigans himself, racking up as many as 100 conduct complaints during his active duty career. (San Francisco doesn’t adjudicate citizen complaints; it buries them in paper work, so there is no way of knowing how many of these were justified.)

His best know escapade rivaled the current brouhaha.  How’s this for an example of mature police conduct?

During San Francisco riots in 1992 over the Rodney King jury verdict in Los Angeles, [Police Chief Richard] Hongisto had hundreds of people jailed. In the wake of those arrests, the Bay Times gay newspaper ran a suggestive illustration of Hongisto with the headline, “Dick’s Cool New Tool: Martial Law.” Police Officer Gary Delagnes and other officers responded by grabbing more than 2,000 copies of the newspaper off news racks.

Hongisto was fired; Delagnes continued his rise in the department. He knows the guys he defends from his current perch; he has always been one of the boys.

Don’t want to step on any toes, here, but…

Is it, maybe, time to get rid of the Schwarzenegger Nix on Six graphic on the front page?

: )

Crawford, TX (Rotters) – President George W. Bush this morning was attempting to address a crowd of supporters at his ranch and very nearly wound up addressing Cindy Sheehan’s Camp Casey antiwar activist movement. The president was out with his dog Barney for an early morning walk and noticed the arrays of crosses and tents about a mile from his ranch and made the assumption that this was the site for the pro-Bush war rally scheduled to occur later in the day.

Posted at UNCONFIRMED SOURCES

Accompanying Secret Service agents quickly cautioned the president who then grabbed Barney and hurried away from the area and back towards his ranch compound. This, however, was not before Barney apparently accidentally desecrated one of the memorials. White House spokesperson Scott McClellan stated that they had apologized to Ms. Sheehan’s camp through certain channels. “We are indeed very sorry over this incident,” stated McClellan, “Barney is a small dog with a small bladder, and he’s pretty easily startled. This was certainly not done intentionally. The president was attempting to make a surprise visit to the pro Bush camp and made the natural assumption that the much larger encampment would be in favor of him.”

The accidental desecration went unnoticed until afterwards by Sheehan supporters. An anonymous spokesperson for the camp stated that no real harm was done, and that the memorial in question was quickly cleaned off. “Barney was scared, and just does what dogs normally do sometimes in that situation,” she stated, “but we all should remember that old saying about how dogs eventually come to resemble their masters.”

This latest example of a leadership void has dogged the president with an air of incompetence that has been unleashed since he was locked into and barred from leaving a press conference in Beijing last week. Bush has remained in isolation on his 1600 acre ranch on a six day Thanksgiving holiday, attempting to recover from his diplomatic vacation to Asia.

Bush is currently facing some of the most difficult times of his presidency, with Democrats and some Republicans openly questioning the facts and reasoning which led to the war in Iraq in the first place, and demanding major course changes. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice earlier this week cited the uncovering of a secret torture bunker in Baghdad recently as positive evidence that America may soon be able to draw down some of their forces in the coming year. She stated, “I suspect that American forces are not going to be needed in the numbers that they’re there for all that much longer, because Iraqis are continuing to make progress in function, not just in numbers, but in their capabilities to do certain functions.”

( – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Stanley Tookie Williams is set to be executed on Dec. 13.  He is currently seeking clemency from The Governator (TM).  Williams helped to form the Crips in Los Angeles several decades ago.  Since his conviction he has been tirelessly working to decrease youth crime and against gangs.

A bevy of Nobel laureates and celebrities have written a letter urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to commute the death sentence of Stanley Tookie Williams, himself a Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

Williams, 51, the co-founder of the Crips gang convicted of four 1979 murders, is scheduled to be executed at San Quentin State Prison on Dec. 13.

The letter praises Williams’ work as an anti-gang crusader, including writing children’s books.

“Each year at the holiday season voices the world over cry out for peace,” states the letter to the governor. “This year, one of them, a voice of great power, will be lost unless you act.”

Among the signatories of the letter are Nobel Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Irene Kahn, secretary general of Amnesty International; and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who founded the Community of the Peace People in 1976. SF Chronicle

Personally, I’m against the death penalty in principle.  Now, in practicality, Williams has an opportunity to do good.  Why not let him?

New York, NY (APE) – Tom Cruise today unveiled the new sonogram machine that he purchased for his fiancée Katie Holmes. The purchase was recently discussed with Barbara Walters and will air on November 29 on ABC’s “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005”. Excerpts of the interview are published in the latest issue of Feeble magazine.

The 43-year-old actor revealed that the couple elected to purchase the sonogram machine endorsed by the Church of Scientology. Cruise has been frequently condemned for his outspoken opinions against psychiatry and in support of the Church of Scientology of which he is a long-standing member. The Church of Scientology as well as the controversial concept of Dianetics were founded by noted deceased science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard.

Cruise said that the machine cost $400,000, nearly twice as much as a typical top-of-the-line sonogram machine, but states that he feels that it was worth it. The machine was actually purchased from the Church of Scientology and Cruise announced that it will be donated back to the church upon the birth of their child. The couple will use the machine to monitor the fetal growth of their unborn child, and Cruise states that this particular machine has the added advantage of being able to “clear” an unborn child while in the womb.

The proud father then showed off the first picture obtained from their new machine. “It’s a little too early to tell whether it’s a boy or a girl,” said Cruise, “But the baby appears to be healthy. I can’t really tell whether it looks more like me or Katie, but it sure does appear to be awfully reclusive. I had a dickens of a time trying to get it to remain still for the picture. It kept turning away and it was almost as if it was trying to hide.”

The couple will be married sometime in the coming summer or fall, and the child will arrive after it has been completely cleared.

Washington, DC (Rotters) – In a stunning break with tradition, President Bush refused to pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey and its alternate today at the official pardoning ceremony in the Rose Garden. The birds were named Democracy and Freedom by voting results from an online poll at the White House website. Also present for the ceremony were administration officials Karl Rove, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, and Vice President Dick Cheney.

from UNCONFIRMED SOURCES

The press in attendance were shocked as the President then personally carried out the sentence himself, producing a Katana sword which he had received as a gift from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during his visit last week. The execution was swift and clean, and Democracy and Freedom’s deaths appeared instantaneous and without further suffering.

After cleaning off a bit of blood spatter, the President offered a few words:

“My fellow Americans. This is indeed a violent, but necessary lesson for us all. We must be forever ready to act swiftly in defense of America lest this be the sword of terror which comes quietly in the night after our own Democracy and Freedom. As we all begin to debate the virtues of a war that we did not ask for around the holiday table, let us keep this in mind. Debate is a good thing, but in this season of Thanksgiving, let it be over how best to serve Democracy and Freedom to the rest of the world, and white or dark should all be equal. Let this symbolic act show the world how America will continue to deal with terrorist threats. Let us all be thankful that this administration will continue to plot a steady course for our brave sons and daughters in Iraq as well as those suffering at home as the result of natural disaster in these times of abundant fear. Thank you, and have a blessed Thanksgiving Day”

Scott McClellan spoke to reporters afterwards and said, “As the healthy debate over the war in Iraq evolves, it is important for you to know that just as in the natural disaster of Katrina, this administration had made no insidious plans. There was no planning at all, and to suggest so is as Vice President Cheney has suggested just ‘morally reprehensible’. We hope America will keep the fears for their loved ones as well as the fears of the terrorist attack which will surely come if we just cut and run in mind over this holiday season.”

When a reporter asked if the President wasn’t afraid of the appearances of this public execution, McClellan responded, “Ah, yes… bird flu. America can rest assured that while the virus actually surfaced here in America some months ago, pending confirmation it was kept a secret. No chances were taken with the President, however, and he had taken a dose of Tamiflu from the White House stockpile yesterday in anticipation of today’s risk of exposure.”

Another reporter pointed out that Disneyland would now be without its Grand Marshals for the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade after the demise of Democracy and Freedom. McClellan smiled and said, “The administration is way ahead on that one. The President will be pardoning Scooter Libby and Karl Rove, and they have agreed to perform in this capacity.”

Today is November 18.  Exactly ten days after Prop D, which would alter the appointments to the MUNI board, was defeated.  The MTA has been operating without an Executive Director.  Apparently, there are still some people who want the job:

The general manager of Atlanta’s transit system is the front-runner to head The City’s transportation agency, city officials close to the decision said this week.

The Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees Muni and the Department of Parking and Traffic and its $600 million annual budget, has been without a chief since Executive Director Michael Burns stepped down in July.

Nathaniel Ford Sr., formerly a midlevel manager at BART, is the lead candidate on a short list that includes acting Executive Director Stuart Sunshine. (SF Examiner 11/18/05)

Why anybody would want that job is beyond me, especially considering there is already(!) mud being flung.

Ken Rodriguez, president of the union representing Muni’s field managers, agreed with Sisk, saying it will be difficult for an outsider to navigate San Francisco’s tricky politics.

“Unless he’s a genius, I don’t believe he’ll be successful in San Francisco,” Rodriguez said, pointing out that Burns was also an outsider.

Personally, I don’t think the problems from “being an outsider” are really key here.  The problem is that service is atrocious.  And recent cuts in service (somehow timed at the same time as fare increases) have made the situation far worse.  I have waited for 10 minutes, IN A PACKED CAR, in the subway tunnels.  To say I felt like cattle would be an understatement.  And today this, from a letter written by Be_devine to Supervisor Dufty:

Today began as most days in the past few months.  Upon arrival at the Castro MUNI station at 7:20 a.m., the inbound platform was overflowing with people.  A few minutes later a one-car train arrived, but it was completely packed.  Perhaps two of the people from the Castro station were able to get on the train.  The computer voice from the sky promised the angry crowd that another one car train would arrive in five minutes.  Little solace.

Indeed, another one-car train did arrive five minutes later as promised.  This car, like the last, was completely full.  And so it went on.  A total of six trains passed by, all completely full.  Late for work, tired of being shoved by the crowd, and wondering why I didn’t drive to work, I was finally able to shove my way on the seventh train that arrived over 30 minutes after I arrived at the station.  I left behind a huge crowd of people still waiting on the platform for their chance to shove themselves onto a packed train.  It took me over an hour to travel the 4 miles to my office.

Since the service cuts and fare hikes, this is now business at usual at MUNI.  It seems the City is begging people to stop using this failed system and instead find another more reliable means of transportation.  It is working.  I no longer consider MUNI a reliable method of transportation.  If I need to be somewhere on time, I likely will look to another means of transportation – like a car.  It is a shame that San Francisco has created a system that encourages people to use cars instead of public transit.

What can be done?  Well, certainly shifting power from the mayor to the Board will have little power on the net result.  We need a leader who can look at the situation as a business, optimize ridership and  make this an effective transit system.  If that is raising the fares, so be it.  An ineffective system does nobody good.

On September 7, I wrote to Governator Schwarzenegger pleading him not to veto the Gender Neutral Marriage Bill.  Of course, in the end, he did veto the bill.  Today, more than two months later, Schwarzenegger finally wrote back (presumably from his Blackberry while in China.  He said::

Thank you for emailing to express your position regarding Assembly Bill 849 (Leno).  I understand the importance of this piece of legislation and the outcome it would have on our State and nation as a whole.  After extensive consideration and thorough deliberation from proponents and opponents of this issue, I have decided to veto this bill.

I am proud California is a leader in recognizing and respecting domestic partnerships and the equal rights of domestic partners.  I believe that lesbian and gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationships.  I support current domestic partnership rights and will continue to
vigorously defend and enforce these rights and as such will not support a rollback of these rights.  

California Family Code Section 308.5 was enacted by an initiative statute passed by the voters as Proposition 22 in 2000.  Article II, section
10 of the California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from amending this initiative statute without a vote of the people.  This bill
does not provide for such a vote and I do not believe the Legislature can reverse an initiative approved by the people of California.

The ultimate issue regarding the constitutionality of section 308.5 and its prohibition of same-sex marriage is currently before the Court of
Appeal in San Francisco and will likely be decided by the Supreme Court.  If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this bill is not
necessary.  If the ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective.

While I was not able to sign this bill in particular, I did sign legislation to extend the rights of domestic partners.  Last legislative
session I signed SB 1234 (Kuehl), the most comprehensive extension of
domestic partner rights.  This sessions I signed AB 1400 (Laird), which clarifies that marital status and sexual orientation are among the
characteristics that are protected against discrimination by business establishments under the Unruh Civil Rights Act.  I also signed AB 1586 (Koretz) which adds additional language to already existing anti-discrimination provision to clarify that State law prohibits insurance companies and
health care service plans from discriminating on the basis of gender in the creation or maintenance of service contracts or the provision of benefits or coverage.  

Thank you again for taking the time to voice your opinion.  Taking the time to communicate your opinions and concern shows that California’s
people are engaged in issues that affect the well being and future of our State.  

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Why did it take the Governator two months to respond?

Is it just me, or does this letter scream “separate but equal is good enough for me”?  

(Very funny… thanks dood… – promoted by SFBrianCL)

Beijing, China (UPSI) – Recent noted Republican losers California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George W Bush crossed paths in China as both embarked on Asian tours. Governor Schwarzenegger was there purportedly to promote trade with Asian nations, take a stance against pirated DVD sales, and promote the International Special Olympics, which he has supported for decades. President Bush was there for a brief stop to also promote the Special Olympics, for which he was a gold medalist during his college days at Yale.

Bush, checking an opponent in the Yale Special Olympics shot-putting event, circa 1969

Political analysts have been left to wonder over the attraction that China has for these two recent losers in their quest for political rehabilitation. There were some tense moments as both leaders and their first ladies seemed to be overwhelmed by adoring Chinese paparazzi. It was especially tense when the chants of “Ah-no” erupted, and it was unclear as to whether they were meant as condemnation of president Bush or adoration of governor Schwarzenegger.

Former Special Olympian Bush seemed to become a little peeved when he realized that the adoration was deferentially towards Schwarzenegger. He was notably temporarily confined to a wheel chair after yet another bicycle accident in Alaska yesterday. First lady Laura Bush stepped in and seemed to smooth over ruffled feathers, and the president brightened considerably when he was presented the Special Olympics torch in a ceremony by governor Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger will continue his tour and attempt to promote trade with California as well as DVD anti-piracy attitudes and legislation in China. Bush will be left with the embarrassing task of addressing the impending ownership of the United States by the Chinese government with officials there. Both camps hold steadfastly to the belief that these trips in some way will address sagging poll numbers for both leaders at home.

A recent Kos diary alerted me to some rather suspicious mailers going out around San Diego:

The Handy Dandy “voter guide” had a vote Yes on Prop 78 and NO on Props 79 and 80.

Wait just a minute. I go back and check my email I received from the CA Democratic Party and, no, I wasn’t mistaken….the CA Democratic Party says NO on 78 and endorses 79 and 80.

Needless to say, this aroused my curiousity.

Upon learning that a group called “Democratic Voters Choice” had prepared the slate endorsement, I googled a bit, and soon learned that the flyer was one of two, each making the same endorsements, but targeted at SoCal residents of different parties:

In some versions of the piece, the brochure appears to be from the Democratic Party, although the fine print shows that the real backer is a group called “Democratic Voters Choice.”

Another version, targeted at Republicans, lists a group called “Citizens for Good Government” as the source.

Needless to say, a collection of bogus endorsements like this sent me off to Cal-Access, the state campaign contribution database. Each group has entries, and unsurprisingly, I found that on October 15, PhRMA paid each group a substantial sum for their endorsement. The records for Democratic Voters for Choice are on pages 3-4 of this electronic filing, and the records for Citizens for Good Government are on pages 7-8 of this electronic filing. Both groups list Kinde Durkee, the LA county Democratic party treasurer, as their contact, but the provided phone number ((213) 489-4792) belongs to David L. Gould company, and David L. Gould was listed as the contact for both groups during the 2001-2002 cycle. FWIW, David L. Gould is (was?) the president of the California Political Treasurers Association.

So look carefully at the flyers which show up on your doorstep. Look at who paid for them, and who funded that group, and who they really are.