Despite the swine H1N1 flu scare in Mexico gradually easing, they are still canceling events. So, how about a festive open thread! Oh, wait this is California in budget crisis, so let’s just get to the links, depressing as they may be:

• Everybody in local government, grab your wallets. Arnold wants to raid local governments to the tune of $2 Billion.  Thank Prop 13 for this lovely mess, as it brought about the situation where local governments were dependent upon the state’s ability to tax.

• Repealing Prop 8 in 2010? That’s the opinion of Gavin Newsom and Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign.  Of course, the Supreme Court could save a lot of hassle here.

• CSU fees are going up 10%. And the shift to a government by, for, and of the rich continues…

• The No on Prop 1D campaign has some web ads on YouTube

• It is generally not a good idea for one’s sanity to read many of the comments on newspaper’s websites.  This article featuring Dan Walters answering questions about the special election has some of the most offensive I’ve seen.  Beyond the fact that apparently there are a big crew of conspiracy theorists think that there is going to be election fraud to pass the props (um…what?), the one that got me was a comment by “GNBGMO” suggesting that we scrap the school system and instead create a two-tier system. One system would simply  “wharehouse and babysit incorregibles where minimum money is spent to house the unwilling; and a superior system with small class sizes and highly motivated educators providing the very finest output for the benefit of industry and society.” This advocates for some sort of either socioeconomic division of the school system. Sure, it is never going to happen, but just the concept that somebody would think of this is offensive.

• In more promising news, the state has applied for $1 billion dollars in stimulus money for broadband development with the goal of wiring every household in California.  Closing the digital divide will increase access to information, knowledge and civic participation for a traditionally disenfranchised group of citizens, and may even lead to better newspaper comment sections!

• Carla Marinucci has the sad tale of Michael Savage’s ban from the United Kingdom.  Yup, the San Francisco dean of hate is officially not allowed in Britain. His company on the banning list includes Muslim and Jewish extremists, Fred Phelps, the homophobic preacher from Topeka, and some Russian gang leaders.

• The city of San Diego today approved the first round of mandatory water use restrictions, limiting car washes and lawn watering. It’s overdue, and likely to be just the beginning.

• Finally, it’s ugly to link to Michelle Malkin but, if you want to feel the warm flow of schadenfreude wash over you, her assessment of the California GOP is fun.

I mentioned this in the quick hits, but it’s expanded now. Via the New York Times:

Michael Savage, the incendiary radio host who last week characterized nearly every autistic child as “a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,” said in a telephone interview Monday morning that he stood by his remarks and had no intention of apologizing to those advocates and parents who have called for his firing over the matter.”

Many of the folks here are familiar with the constant stream of hate spewed by Michael Savage, and once again remotely reasonable people are fighting back yet again. Savage told the New York Times that his show today (3pm-6pm pacific) will be entirely devoted “to parents and other callers who wished to disagree with him, and to educate him.”

So beyond just continuing to stand up and demand he be removed from the air, we now have an opportunity to call him out on the show (even though the format will be stacked in his favor). As I mentioned in the QH, it’s important to always push back on this sort of vitriol because they’re never going to give up any ground that they’re able to grab because nobody’s looking.

Title stolen from Media Matters.  They listen to right-wing talk radio to keep an eye on what they are saying thank goodness.  Today in the wake of the announcement that Sen. Teddy Kennedy has a brain tumor Michael Savage decided to play the Dead Kennedys “in some respect for” the Senator.  Here is the Media Matter’s summary.  You can listen to it on their site and read the full transcript.  digg it

On the day it was announced that Sen. Ted Kennedy had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, nationally syndicated radio host Michael Savage opened his show by interspersing audio of Kennedy singing “Ay Jalisco No Te Rajes” with clips of news reporters discussing Kennedy’s diagnosis and audio from Kindergarten Cop in which Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character says, “It’s not a tumor.” Later, Savage played the Dead Kennedys song “California Über Alles” after stating: “The poor guy’s been suffering for years, you know? Unfairly he’s been accused of alcoholism, but we see now that it was something much more deep-seated. And so, to cut this out in some respect for Ted Kennedy, here’s a tune coming at you from the Dead Kennedys. Go ahead and play it, please.”

This is absolutely despicable.  Senator Kennedy is revered on both sides of the aisle as a “senator’s senator” and is at least partially responsible for just about every major piece of positive legislation in the past 40 years.  He will go into the history books as one of the greatest and most influencial Senators in United States history.  While Savage may not like his politics, Sen. Kennedy is owed respect, especially this day of all days.

That wasn’t all Savage had to say.

At one point in the program, he told a caller, “You know I’m playing the Dead Kennedys not to mock Ted Kennedy. It’s just appropriate, that’s all.”

You know what is appropriate…for Savage’s advertisers and the stations that cary him to hear from you.  Savage is SF based and aired all over the state.  According to this site, these stations carry Savage’s radio show.

KNEW Oakland

KFMB San Diego

KERN Bakersfield

KSTE Rancho Cordova

KIXW Apple Valley

KTIE San Bernardino

KFMB San Diego

KFMB San Diego

If anyone listens in during his show tomorrow, please make a note of his advertisers and let us know.  I have to assume that this is going to be a blogosphere wide project in the coming days.