Saturday, October 20, 2007

Get your questions ready.

This coming Tuesday, Brian Bonfiglio, Blackwater USA will be guest posting at Cafe San Diego. You can ask him, what it is like to represent a company that behaves like a bunch of mercenary thugs?

Excitement on Live TV

During last night's live broadcast of the Bill Maher Show on HBO, protesters interrupted Maher shouting, "9/11 is a cover up for fraud." Maher at first tried to shout the guy down, when the protester became agitated and security guards had trouble removing the man, Maher ran into the crowd and joined with the security guards in removing the protester.[Link] Maher was cheered by the audience as he returned to his seat on stage.

UPDATE:

Via Brad Blog: Here is the video from the show.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Quick Hits

Here are some quick hits from this morning's UT and NC Times:
  • What a surprise! Residents in East Village uphappy with homeless shelter coming to neighborhood.[UT Link]
  • Transit Board screws the poor, moves forward with rate hike.[UT Link]
  • Band Aid approach to traffic issues: Toll road set open on November 19.[UT Link]
  • Forward thinking Escondido business owner to install photovoltaic system in its brewery/restaurant.[NC Times Link]

Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Next Mayor?

Tonight's CPI 10th Anniversary Dinner was abuzz tonight. Not because of the stuffed chicken dinner, but because just a couple hours earlier it was reported that San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Butkiewicz will resign from his post at the end of 2007.

While making rounds, I heard from a couple people that Butkiewicz is leaving the Labor Council to run for mayor. I couldn't get anyone from the Labor Council to address the rumors, but the timing would certainly make sense. Leaving at the end of the year would give him two months to start a campaign before the filing deadline.

While I'm sure the Lincoln Club would spend a record amount of money against him, he certainly has the credentials. He's currently on the board of directors for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of San Diego. He also would certainly have the support of labor, and be able to easily raise funds.

We can only hope these rumors are true, giving San Diego an option besides Sanders and Francis.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The Hypocrisy of The Pro-Life Movement

As the House gets ready to try to override the president's veto of S-CHIP bill on Thursday, the pro-life has been exposed for the frauds they are. The Hill newspaper reports that a group of ten pro-life House Democrats sent a letter, lashing out at the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) for not backing the S-CHIP bill.

As Democratic pro-life members of Congress, we were disappointed and dismayed when the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) announced in July that it was actively opposing the House-passed reauthorization of [S-CHIP],” the letter says.[Link]

In response, the NRLC's legislative director Douglas Johnson said, “There’s nothing there [in the S-CHIP bill] for us to really grab onto."[Link]

There has always been a morbid fascination within the pro-life movement that focused on the fetus. Their position regarding S-CHIP has shown this to be true. So long as you're a fetus, we are concerned about you, but once you come out of the womb you are on your own. I guess that is what you call a hypocrite.

UPDATE:

I was sent an e-mail this morning from a pro-life reader telling me Feminists for Life are supporting the S-CHIP bill.[Link] Maybe not all pro-filers are hypocrites, just the vast majority of them

Failure in Leadership - Example XXIII

Yesterday, the City Council voted to move the emergency homeless shelter from Barrio Logan to of all places the East Village. The shelter is scheduled to open November 1st and is located on a vacant lot owned by the redevelopment agency "bounded by 11th Avenue, G Street, Market Street and Park Boulevard."[Link]

While I fully understand and agree with the council's decision to placate the concerns of Barrio Logan residents regarding the shelter, does the council really believe that the residents and business owners of East Village are not going to have the same concerns that their neighbors in Barrio Logan had? Once again, instead of trying to find a location that could eventually become a permanent site for a shelter, this council has decided to abdicated its responsibility.

The homeless situation in San Diego is a disgrace. The city needs a comprehensive solution that includes a permanent year-round facility, not some annual "emergency shelter" that is passed from one community to another like a hot potato. To arrive at a comprehensive solution, of course would require leadership from both the mayor and city council and that is something that is in short supply.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Vigil for Health Care

Tell Governor Schwarzenegger:
Sign Affordable Health Care Legislation Now


COUNTLESS CALIFORNIANS have fallen victim to soaring health care costs. Yet Governor Schwarzenegger has failed to give us affordable health care this year.

JOIN WORKING FAMILIES across the state for a state-wide vigil to honor the victims of health care by lighting candles, delivering flowers and sharing personal health care stories. to make our voices heard and demand action.

WHEN: October 17th-19th, 2007

WHERE: The Governor’s Offices - 1350 Front Street, San Diego

CONTACT: Ryan Mims, San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council - (619) 228-8101 or rmims@unionyes.org

Events during the 48-hour vigil will include:
Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. - Candle-lighting ceremony, and personal health care stories
Thursday, 11:30 a.m. - Prayer circle and reflection
Friday, 11:30 a.m. - Conclusion ceremony, and delivery of memorial to the Governor's office

***Come by when you can - morning, noon or night!***
Bring your families, co-workers, neighbors and friends.


Because if health care isn’t affordable, it’s not real reform.

Buff Piece on Sheriff William Kolender by U-T

First and foremost I really had been a fan of Sheriff Bill Kolender and think he has made some major positive changes in law enforcement for San Diego. However, I think there needs to be true reporting on Sheriff Kolender on how he is doing in his leadership role.

So, I don't know if you had a chance to read the Union Tribune's not in-depth article. It very softly danced around rumors that Sheriff Kolender might not finish his 4-year term, personal health conditions and family matters.

It seems Sheriff Kolender had been ducking their interview for sometime, limited the time originally scheduled for the interview, had his spokeperson limit the exchange of information and we seemed to gleem more insight from the comments of Sheriff Kolender's underlings, then the Sheriff himself.

  • I tell people, 'He's not 41 anymore,' ” said Undersheriff (Bill) Gore
  • Gore's urging, Kolender recently agreed to scale back his speaking engagements and other commitments outside the office
  • He compares positively in all the dealings I have with anyone his age,” (Ron) Roberts said.
  • He struggles to find the right words or phrase sometimes...

I think the media or should I say the Union Tribune does a real disservice to the public when they have a chance to interview an elected person and throws a softball rather then ask the tough questions. Though they would not have given a free pass to Congressman Bob Filner or any other Democratic, but we forget this is a Republican elected afterall.

What is really Sheriff Kolendar's health, will he really stay the entire 3-1/2 years, will the County Board of Supervisors appoint a caretaker for his position, why is he getting 3 months off on taxpayer expense, would this type of time off be allowed for an employee, etc...?

P.S. The U-T did come out in favor of the Chula Vista caretaker option to not allow appointees to run for a vacanted open seat. Will the U-T stay on course for the County?

Monday, October 15, 2007

Weekend Recap - Bersin for City Attorney?

So, the e-mails were on fire this weekend. Apparently, there has been a pretty concerted effort by the Republican downtown establishment to court former School Superintendent Alan Bersin to run against City Attorney Mike Aguirre. Rumor has it, Bersin has decided to do it. A source in labor says the teachers union will go nuts, spending upwards of half a million dollars to ensure Bersin does not get back into office. He would be picketed everywhere he goes. I can't imagine why Bersin would want to subject himself to the constant ridicule of 10,000 San Diego public school teachers. I guess its a good strategy to cause a war in labor - you would have quite a few of the unions fighting each other over who was worse: Aguirre or Bersin.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Meet the Ugly Face of Gaylord Entertainment


I came across this blog over the weekend and thought I would share a rather interesting post. It provides some much needed background regarding one of the figures during the recent Gaylord Entertainment brouhaha that occurred in Chula Vista this summer. The individual in question is Eric Christen who is the "Vice President of Government Affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of San Diego," but is nothing more than an "an attack dog-for-hire." [Link]

Apparently, Mr Christen has some very extreme views that he likes to espouse. Such as that he believes human caused Global Warming is an hoax perpetrated by the "Left" to gain more power and that environmentalists are more dangerous that Islamic Terrorists.[Link]

Besides his extreme views, Mr. Christen also has a bit of an assorted past:

He likes to pose as a regular guy who knows what’s best for the people of Chula Vista, but he comes to us from Oregon, via Colorado. The people back in those states know what a hot-headed fringe character he really is.

When he ran in 1996 for the Oregon state legislature as a far-right candidate against a moderate Republican, Christen railed against “the increase in violent, senseless acts of crime.” But Christen failed to inform voters that he was, in fact, a convicted criminal. He was found guilty of criminal mischief after terrorizing a 17-year-old boy and attacking the teenager’s car in the previous year.

In Colorado Springs — where he got himself elected to the school board after running a pro-voucher, anti-public education campaign — Christen quickly created havoc, threatening mass firings of school district employees and verbally abusing fellow board members. “It’s been a long while since I’ve been around a public official who’s as rude as Eric Christen,” said the president of the local PTA.

In addition to alienating fellow school board members and school employees, Christen enraged the African-American community when he claimed that most black students who manage to graduate from high school will be functionally illiterate.” He also got in hot water with the Latino community when he insulted the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo. In another school board meeting incident, he joked that several students who had gotten a rash were on crystal meth. I’m guessing it wasn’t too tough to gather the 16,443 signatures supporting his recall. [Link]

Considering Mr. Christen's questionable past, not to mention his personal extreme views, you have to ask the question; "Why does the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) have someone like him representing them?"

You can pry my gun, out of my cold dead hand!

This morning the UT reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation yesterday requiring all "new models of semiautomatic handguns sold in California be able to stamp identifying serial numbers on shell casings." [Link]

In signing the legislation, the governor stated: "While I appreciate and understand that this technology is not without limitations, I am signing this bill to provide law enforcement with an additional tool for solving crimes, I encourage all stakeholders to work on improving this technology." [Link]

The law puts California back into the forefront for gun control legislation. Of course the crazy gun totting wingnuts, who believe that every person has the right to own a bazooka were quick to react to the governor's actions.

Sam Paredes of the Gun Owners of California said Schwarzenegger may have become “the most anti-gun governor in California history.” and he noted that Schwarzenegger, a Republican, approved a ban on .50-caliber rifles three years ago. [Link] I suspect that Arnold and Maria shouldn't expect any Xmas cards from Chuck Heston after this.