Oppose the Protect-IP Act; it's bad for American business and American values. 2011

I've been participating online since before the web and for the past 15 years it has been a vital part of my day-to-day work. If these acts pass, if service providers become liable for the content their users post, it will stifle both economic and creative expression. That's the last thing we need in this economy.

Imagine if Johannes Gutenberg could have been shut down because someone didn't like the content of a book his presses printed.

Contact your elected officials through FightForTheFuture.org or better yet call them directly to register your opposition to this dangerous proposal.

My voting slate for the November 2010 California election 2010

I was surprisingly on track with the Bay Guardian this time.

Governor: Edmund G. Brown
I like Jerry. He was a good governor the last time he was my governor.

Lieutenant Governor: Gavin Newsom
He's a little too much of a friend to super-wealthy people and corporations, but I don't hate Newsom and I definitely don't like Maldonado.

Secretary of State: Debra Bowen
Bowen does a good job and, from everything I have heard, runs a very clean ship.

Controller: John Chiang
Another good public servant worthy of continuing support.

Treasurer: Bill Lockyer
And another person who's served the state well and who I continue to support.

Attorney General: Kamala Harris
I hope she will improve (drastically) her performance over her time in San Francisco, but I definitely choose Harris over her death penalty lovin' opponent Steve Cooley.

Insurance Commissioner: Dave Jones
No nose-holding on this one: Jones is a strong consumer advocate and health care reformer and not a right-wing, corporation-lover like opponent Mike Villines.

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 1: Betty Yee
Bring back in my theme of continuing support for folks who've been doing a good job.

United States Senator: Barbara Boxer
See my full post on this race, but in short: I worked at HP when Fiorina was CEO; I definitely don't want her representing my state.

United States Representative: Nancy Pelosi
With the pressure against her and any vaguely progressive agenda, it's a wonder the House has been able to make the progress they have. Pelosi knows how to fight this fight, so let's keep her working at it.

Member, State Assembly: Tom Ammiano
My man in the assembly. Keep on keepin' on, Tom.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction: Tom Torlakson
Aceves wouldn't be the end of the world, but Torlakson's approach seems inclined to make him more effective.

Assessor-Recorder: Phil Ting
Seems to run a good team and to bring in the revenue the city is owed. Their communication during the Prop 8 case ruling was pleasing.

Public Defender: Jeff Adachi
Sure. Okay. Disagree with him on his Measure B advocacy, but he does fine as public defender.

Proposition 19: Yes.
Changes California Law to Legalize Marijuana and Allow It to Be Regulated and Taxed.
We need to change pot from a cost to a revenue source (and incidentally weaken drug cartels by giving them legitimate competitors). I just wish it didn't smell like cow ass.

Proposition 20: No.
Redistricting of Congressional Districts.
Allowing some unelected committe to redraw the lines is highly unattractive.

Proposition 21: Yes.
Establishes $18 Annual Vehicle License Surcharge to Help Fund State Parks and Wildlife Programs and Grants Free Admission to All State Parks to Surcharged Vehicles.
Restores a funding source we shouldn't have lost.

Proposition 22: No.
Prohibits the State from Taking Funds Used for Transportation or Local Government Projects and Services.
There are already enough constraints on state spending. Let's not tie hands while we get this budget working.

Proposition 23: NO!!!
Suspends Air Pollution Control Laws Requiring Major Polluters to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions That Cause Global Warming Until Unemployment Drops Below Specified Level for Full Year.
Climate change is going to cause more harm to our state's economy than holding polluters accountable for their sacrificing our future for their profits. Let's keep the pressure on as high as possible to jumpstart the green economy.

Proposition 24: Yes.
Repeals Recent Legislation That Would Allow Businesses to Carry Back Losses, Share Tax Credits, and Use a Sales-Based Income Calculation to Lower Taxable Income.
Repeal special-interest tax breaks!

Proposition 25: Yes.
Changes Legislative Vote Requirement to Pass a Budget from Two-Thirds to a Simple Majority. Retains Two-Thirds Vote Requirement for Taxes.
Let's get this state goverment able to operate effectively again. The party of inaction needs to be unable to hold back the rest of us.

Proposition 26: No.
Increases Legislative Vote Requirement to Two-Thirds for State Levies and Charges. Imposes Additional Requirement for Voters to Approve Local Levies and Charges with Limited Exceptions.
What's bad for budget approval effectiveness is also bad for other charges. Let's stop this now instead of having to repeal it later.

Proposition 27: Yes.
Eliminates State Commission on Redistricting. Consolidates Authority for Redistricting with Elected Representatives.
An unaccountable, unrepresentative commission is not a better answer than having the legislature draw these lines.

Measure AA: Yes!
Vehicle Registration Fee
Let's get cars working for a more livable city.

Measure A: Yes!
Earthquake Retrofit Bond
We need this. It will save lives and blocks. Building collapse is definitely a huge danger in an earthquake, not only to those within that building but to the surrounding area due to the risk of collapse leading to fire. As a NERT, I can help up to a point, but big fires are beyond our skills, training, or resources. We will not have enough fire crews to fight many major fires around the city after a major quake and we must do what we can to avoid this risk.

Measure B: No.
City Retirement and Health Plans
This is not the way to solve the issues in this area. Furthermore, charging the same increased amounts to workers regardless of their income level is unfair.

Measure C: No.
Mayoral Appearance at Board Meetings
A healthy relationship between the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor should be part of our city government, but given the current membership of the board this does not seem like the answer.

Measure D: Yes.
Non-citizen Voting in School Board Elections
The residents from our city come from all over the world. Those who choose to raise their children here should have a say in how those schools are run.

Measure E: Yes!
Election Day Voter Registration
Whatever makes it easier to get more public participation in democracy is good.

Measure F: Yes.
Health Service Board Elections
Was on the fence on this one, but swayed by Supervisor Chiu's support for it.

Measure G: Yes.
Transit Operator Wages
This is most definitely not a fix for all Muni's problems. However, it does send a strong 'get your shit together, people' message. A bit on the fence over this, but edging down on the yes side.

Measure H: No.
Local Elected Officials on Political Party Committees
I don't see why we would want to stop competent, experienced people from serving. Also, is this even constitutional?

Measure I: Yes.
Saturday Voting
We get to test drive this and someone else will pay for it? Hell yeah.

Measure J: Yes.
Hotel Tax Clarification and Temporary Increase
The increase in costs this brings will not keep people from visiting our city and we need revenue. Jump on it!

Measure K: No
Hotel Tax Clarification and Definitions
This measure makes some small improvements in how tax is calculated (like J), but does not add any new revenue. Kill it!

Measure L: No!!!!
Sitting or Lying on Sidewalks
You've got to be fucking kidding me. The problem isn't sitting or lying, it's aggressive panhandling. So you're gonna ticket someone lounging on a PARK(ing) Day installation and not the standing guy berating you for not giving him change? This measure is a load of crap.

Measure M: Yes
Community Policing and Foot Patrols
How about actually enforcing our existing laws and building strong neighborhood/police connections instead, hmm?

Measure N: Yes
Real Property Transfer Tax
A little more taxing on transactions over $5 million dollars? Duh. These guys can well afford to pitch in.

Whatever you do, vote! It makes democracy go.

This one's easy: Barbara Boxer for U.S. Senate 2010

There is, as usual in a good democracy, a lot to consider in this coming election, but one which requires no additional research on my part is who to vote to be my senator. I have been paying attention to what Barbara Boxer does and I am pretty consistently pleased.

• She is not a corporate tool.
• She has been a long-time opponent of the war in Iraq and one of those who helped keep the pressure on to get us out of there.
• She helped us get health care reform. There's still more work to be done, but something big and positive and life-changing happened and I'm grateful to her for her part in it.
• She is a defender of education, the environment, reproductive rights, and small business.
• She opposes Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
• She acknowledges scientific reality and is a strong advocate for green jobs and a cleaner economy.
• She is an experienced and effective force for positive change.

Her opponent, Carly Fiorina, is also known to me. I worked (on contract) at Hewlett-Packard when she first came on as CEO. Though I was initially rooting for her – the sexism of the entrenched 50s/60s good-ol-boy culture still infected the company at all levels – as time went on my enthusiasm was replaced with profound disappointment. She was unable to pull together disparate groups to make the company more effective. She did not succeed in keeping internal infighting from tearing things apart from the inside and motivating the most skilled employees to jump ship for competitors or small startups. The merger with Compaq can accurately be described as a trainwreck. Under her leadership HP stumbled, badly.

California is diverse, large, complex, struggling to find its direction, just as HP was. Fiorina has demonstrated she is not the right person to have at the helm in that situation.

But that was a while ago, so let's look also at some other reasons not to support her:

• She favors the mega-rich (individuals and corporations) over the rest of us in her fiscal and intellectual freedom policies.
• She opposes net neutrality.
• Unlike the leaders of almost every democracy in the world she does not believe in climate change. I only support reality-based candidates, so she's off my list on this alone, but of course there's more:
• She doesn't regularly vote.
• She wants to repeal the healthcare bill despite the very real benefits it is bringing to many, many people.
• She is a big supporter of big oil and the BP spill did nothing to sway her support for offshore drilling in California.
• She opposes abortion rights even in cases of incest or rape.
• She opposes marriage equality.
• She opposes the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
• In a world with an increasingly global perspective she is obsessively fixated on closing our borders, proposing approaches which would drain resources from other vital services.
• She has no political experience which would allow her to be effective from day 100 let alone day one.

There is no way I see Carly Fiorina bringing positive change to the Senate or my state.

I'm definitely voting for Barbara Boxer again.

June 2010 California and San Francisco elections slate 2010

Hi gang,

As is becoming a tradition here are my picks for tomorrow's voting.

Governor - Jerry Brown ✓
Best positioned to be highly effective and not morally repugnant.

Lieutenant Governor - Gavin Newsom ✓
We may not agree on every single thing, but I do like Newsom generally and I think he's been good for San Francisco. Also, integrity; I'll be drawing that little black line next to his name thinking of February 2004.

Secretary of State - Debra Bowen ✓
She's been doing fine all the years I've been voting for her.

Controller - John Chiang ✓
Another repeat vote.

Treasurer - Bill Lockyer ✓
Another repeat vote.

Attorney General - Chris Kelly
Tough one, but I like Kelly's ability to understand newer tech-related crimes. My second choice would be Kamala Harris ✓, but I'd prefer someone without such a heavy load of political baggage.

Insurance Commissioner - Dave Jones ✓
Another repeat vote.

Member, State Board of Equalization - Betty T. Yee ✓
Another repeat vote.

United States Senator - Barbara Boxer ✓
With pleasure.

United States Representative - Nancy Pelosi ✓
Stay on target.

Member, State Assembly - Tom Ammiano ✓
With pride.

Democratic County Central Committee, Assembly District 13 - Carole Migden ✓ and Scott Wiener ✓ definitely, then let's fill in with Debra Walker ✓, Eric Quezada ✓, Kim-Shree Maufas, Robert Haaland ✓, Joe Julian, Alix Rosenthal ✓, Michael Goldstein ✓, David Campos ✓, David Chiu ✓, Rafael Mandelman ✓

State Superintendent of Public Instruction - Tom Torlakson
Having to hold my nose to get past the tacky mailing I got from his campaign, but his endorsements and statements make him the candidate I would otherwise choose. Still, ugh, that horrible gambling your children's future theme. Hope he has better communication advice henceforth.

Judge of the Superior Court, Seat 6 - Linda Colfax ✓
Wavering towards Harry Dorfman, but fell on this side of the line.

Judge of the Superior Court, Seat 15 - Michael Nava ✓
Great endorsements.

State Propositions:

13 - YES ✓
Seismic retrofitting. Yes.

14 - NO
Reduces diversity of election choices.

15 - YES
Reducing the power of special interest and lobbyists in elections is good.

16 - NO ✓
Apparently the PG in PG&E stands for Power Grab.

17 - NO ✓
Another corporate pushed initiative that isn't in consumers' best interests and it penalizes those who take time off from being drivers. That's an environmentally responsible position we should be rewarding, not punishing!

Local ballot measures:

A (School Facilities Special Tax) - YES ✓.
It does not raise taxes but preserves an existing, very low tax which is dedicated to school safety. Remember those pictures of collapsed schools after disasters elsewhere in the world? Let's not do that to our and our neighbor's kids, okay?

B (Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond) - YES ✓.
We are going to have a massive quake here in SF, sooner or later, but probably sooner. If going through Neighborhood Emergency Response Team training taught me anything it's that our current fire and police services are already stretched thin and need all the support we can give them in helping to keep us safe after disaster. (Side note: His arguments against measure B are a very powerful illustration of the way Chris Daly blockades positive action while holding out for a perfect but unlikely solution and thus repeatedly reminds me to support more effective politicians. Yes, we need more than measure B, but that is no reason not to take this vital step to preserve our city's support structures in a disaster. Results count. If you disagree with my assessment, Mr. Daly, you can come talk to me about it Saturday at Disaster Operations class at the SFFD Division of Training.)

C (Film Commission) - YES.
The arguments against were utterly unconvincing and this does sound like it will both streamline the process, bringing a relatively green business activity into the city, and create more professional representation in these decisions. Note: I live around the corner from a frequent filming location.

D (Retirement Benefit Costs) - YES ✓.
A sensible adjustment to our city pension system.

E (Budget Line Item for Police Department Security for City Officials and Dignitaries) - YES ✓.
Increased budgetary transparency without increased costs. I like that.

F (Renter's Financial Hardship Applications) - YES.
I can usually tell what proposition or measure will likely help the disenfranchised the most by the number of glossy flyers I get in the mail opposed to it and the ratio of FUD to facts in them. Landlords raise rents on vacant units anyhow, regardless of whether this passes, and they are already carefully scrutinizing tenants' ability to pay. As for the "a tenant whose income dropped from $250K to $200K could apply for hardship" complaint, by my reading that only would be true if the rent was over 33% of their new income.
Sigh. Money talks.

G (Transbay Transit Center) - YES ✓.
Wow. Check out the sample ballot book for the most incoherent argument against a measure I have ever seen in my life. Holy cow. In this case I am with Chris Daly and many, many others in supporting this measure. Keep our transit together!

In memory of my grandfather, Robert S. McCombs 2009

In celebrating Discardia this time I was going through some old boxes, finding things that can be discarded and re-discovering things that are important and which should never have been buried in a box.

These words, which I spoke at my beloved Grandpa Bob's funeral in the Wasco Methodist Church almost eight years ago, were in a old notebook I just opened at random. I thought I'd lost them or destroyed them in a moment of grief. I am so glad they were just a temporary victim of conquerable clutter.

---

When I was a child Grandpa Bob and Grandma Susie would bring me to this church, both for services and - to me more exciting - on church business at other times when I would get to play and explore in the Sunday School rooms and Epworth Hall while they did their grown-up things. Since then I've been to many other lovely places, even heard evensong in Canterbury Cathedral in England, but this remains for me the most beautiful church in the world.

I know that Grandpa loved it deeply too and felt proud to introduce me to it. Now he could have made a big deal out of that introduction, but he didn't.

One of the things about him which I most treasure, one of the best lessons he taught me, is that reverence and human nature needn't be at odds. When I was small, sermons were longer, by far, than my attention span. I suppose, by shushing and scolding, I could have been forced to suppress the outward physical signs of my mind wandering, but I suspect that the strongest lesson I would have learned in church might then have been how to pretend to be engrossed in something I didn't understand.

Instead of teaching me that lesson, my Grandpa Bob taught me a much better one: he taught me that inspiration comes to us not by straining but by relaxing and perceiving. And he did it in the most relaxed and intuitive way, teaching by doing.

He knew that inspiration, great and small, can come to us at any moment and so he kept his eyes and his mind open - and he kept a pen and some 3 x 5 index cards in his shirt pocket so if it did come he could write it down and remember it even if he had another dozen minor epiphanies on his way out the door!

When he took me to church, to this beautiful church, he was always watching me as well as listening to the sermon and when he saw my feet start to swing or noticed me reading the program for the fourth time, he wouldn't say a word, he'd just smile that wonderful smile and quietly slip me a card or two and his pen.

Thus my memory of church as a child is not of a place where some man went on endlessly about confusing things while the grownups shushed me repeatedly, but rather of a beautiful place where I could relax and listen and think and write or draw pictures and feel inspiration and love and reverence around me.

Now as an adult, at many an important occasion, I've learned that my attention span isn't that much bigger than it once was and I've suffered a pang of guilt for thinking something like "Good grief, this is the longest wedding ceremony I've ever been to..." but then I remember those 3 x 5 cards and the permission they gave me to approach things at my own pace, to receive whatever lesson I was ready to learn, to experience the mood, the nature, of a time and place without feeling the need to examine and record every detail.

I want to share this lesson with you.

At some point today, even in this memorial service for someone we love very deeply, we admire very much, our minds will wander. This is not a betrayal of his memory; he loved the human mind with all its quirks. He's laughing and winking at you when you realize you've drifted off. Don't worry about it; be yourself.

Bob always seemed to like us best when we were just that.

But while you're woolgathering, if you remember something about him, some anecdote or a quality you always like about him, whatever it be, won't you please take one of those 3 x 5 cards you see in there with the hymnals and jot a note to remind you to share the story with us in Fellowship after the service?

As I learned from Grandpa Bob, church is about inspiration; life is about inspiration; welcome the gift, great or small, when it comes. Be yourself and be open to grace.

Thank you.

Sometimes it's time for less toleration 2009

For too long we as a country have been tolerating violent bigotry. We have allowed hypocrites to speak of God's love one moment while blocking legislation to protect the vulnerable the next.

It's been ten and a half years since I posted on this blog the beautiful speech from the Chaplain of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, about the death of Matthew Shepard. That's far too long to go without federal hate crimes legislation. Please support the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913) which is about to go up for a vote in the House of Representatives.

Do that by writing to your representative - it's easy; they all have email and it can take you 2 minutes or less: just go to writerep.house.gov and say "Please support the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1913)".

Now, for every friend you have who might at some time have been attacked because of their color, religion, sexual orientation, race, national origin, gender identity, or disability, I want you to tell one other person to go take those same couple minutes and send in their support. And do it where it counts; tell someone who isn't in San Francisco or New York City, where support is already strong. Make a difference where it's needed most.

If you have a friend who was attacked, show them your love and respect by spreading the word even farther. Reach 10 people for each friend who was the victim of violence - and make sure the people you ask to support this bill know that you're asking them this in the name of another friend of yours who was hurt or killed. This isn't something that happens to some isolated stranger; make sure they understand it's real and it's personal.

It is time for us as a nation to live up to the pledge of equality. It is time for us as a nation to stop pretending that this violence is acceptable or that it doesn't happen.


Ten years on, I would have hoped not to need to be reviving these words from that address at Trinity in October of 1998, but we sadly still need to hear them.

Chaplain's Reflection
From the Chaplain of Trinity College, Hartford, CT, 10/15/98

I saw on the news today that Matthew Shepard died. He was the 22 year old man from Wyoming who was beaten and tortured and left to die for no reason other than he was a homosexual. This tragic murder has raised a national debate again, the kind of periodic soul-searching our society goes through whenever a crime of hate startles us into awareness. The burning of Black churches, the bombing of innocent people, the death of a shy young man from Wyoming: these events suddenly shake us out of complacency and remind us that fear, prejudice and rage are always the shadows just beyond the light of our reason. And so people suddenly start to speak out. There are voices of outrage and grief. Voices of sorrow and demands to know why such a thing could happen. And predictably, there are also defensive voices: the governor of Wyoming trying to explain why his state has no laws to protect people from hate crimes and the leadership of what is called the Christian right wing? trying to explain why their national ads against homosexuality don't influence people to commit such violence against gays and lesbians.

In the days to come, these many voices will fill our media and the cultural consciousness it imprints until we are once again lulled into the more familiar patterns of our lives, dozing off as a nation until the next tragedy rings the alarm of despair.

As the chaplain for our own community, I would like to invite us all to consider Matthew's death in another way. Not through the clamor or denials, not through the shouts or cries of anger: but rather, through the silence of his death, the silence of that young man hanging on his cross of pain alone in the emptiness of a Wyoming night, the silence that ultimately killed him as surely as the beatings he endured.

Silence killed Matthew Shepard. The silence of Christians who know that our scriptures on homosexuality are few and murky in interpretation and far outweighed by the words of a savior whose only comment on human relationships was to call us to never judge but only to love. The silence of well meaning educated people who pretend to have an enlightened view of homosexuality while quietly tolerating the abuse of gays and lesbians in their own communities. The silence of our elected officials who have the authority to make changes but prefer to count votes. The silence of the majority of straight Americans who shift uncomfortably when confronted by the thought that gays and lesbians may be no different from themselves, save for the fact that they are walking targets for bigotry, disrespect, cheap humor, and apparently, of murder.

Crimes of hate may live in shouts of rage, but they are born in silence. Here at Trinity, I hope we will all listen to that silence. Before we jump to decry Matthew's senseless death or before we seek to rationalize it with loud disclaimers: I hope we will just hear the silence. A young man's heart has ceased to beat. Hear the silence of that awful truth. It is the silence of death. It is the silence that descends on us like a shroud.

At Trinity, as in Wyoming, we are men and women surrounded by the silence of our own fear. Our fear of those who are different. Our fear of being identified with the scapegoat. Our fear of taking an unpopular position for the sake of those who can not stand alone. Our fear of social and religious change. Our fear comes in many forms but it always comes silently. A whispered joke. A glance to look away from the truth. A quick shake of the head to deny any complicity in the pain of others. These silent acts of our own fear of homosexuality are acted out on this campus every day just as they are acted out every day in Wyoming. Through silence, we give ourselves permission to practice what we pretend to abhor. With silence, we condemn scores of our neighbors to live in the shadows of hate. In silence, we observe the suffering of any group of people who have been declared expendable by our society.

As a person of faith, I will listen, as we all will, to the many voices which will eulogize Matthew Shepard. I will carry that part of our national shame on my shoulders. But I will also listen to the silence which speaks much more eloquently still to the truth behind his death. I will listen and I will remember. And I will renew my resolve never to allow this silence to have the last word. Not for Matthew. Not for gay men or lesbian women. Not for any person in our society of any color or condition who has been singled out for persecution. Not in my church. Not in my nation. Not in Wyoming. And not at Trinity College...

Is Palin's level of experience normal for a VP candidate? 2008

A concise and thorough review of our nation's other Vice Presidents.

Great stuff from Craig Ferguson 2008

We're in agreement on this one, Craig & I.

I believe if you can vote, especially in a presidential election and especially this year, and you don't, you're a moron.

I'll go one step further. How about if we made it a new rule that you can't legally make the choice to drink unless you've done your part and voted?

Not competent enough to think about what you would or wouldn't like to see happen with the most powerful job in the world for the next four years? Then, kid, you are not competent enough even for lite beer.

Also, let it be known throughout this great land that if you ever meet anyone who put in their vote for anything relating to some reality tv show or song contest or people's choice award for hottest babe in America or the like and who did not vote in this presidential election but could have, you're entitled to have them spayed or neutered so they can't breed any more cretins. Thank you for doing your part.

U.S. military presence (& thus costs to American taxpayers) 2008

Noted for future reference & more detailed reading:

Mother Jones' year-long project to investigate U.S. military activity around the globe

Map of Pentagon-reported U.S. troop presence (see notes for background details, but note that they may not provide context such as explaining how Indonesia's stated 26 troops manage three facilities totaling 49,122 square feet).

Useful journalism, both for the facts collected and the questions they raise.

"Because you both have a vagina" is as bad a reason to support a candidate as "because you both have a penis". 2008

I am deeply disappointed to see people who claimed to be fighting for equality drawn to support McCain due to his choice of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. If you want people to be judged and compensated on their merits rather than based on gender, then gender shouldn't be your first priority in choosing who to support.

- Sarah Palin is a member of an organization ("Feminists For Life") which opposes abortion and - a critically important detail - "abortifacient birth control", in other words the pill, IUD, and Plan B. Whether they are opposed to other methods is unclear, but probable considering their unwillingness to respond to questions on birth control other than to bring up ways in which different methods may cause health risks. (As if pregnancy didn't frequently have side effects far worse!)

She appears to be completely opposed to a woman's right to choose whether or not to become pregnant. Not being able to have control over your own body is definitely NOT a feminist political position.

- Despite the clear benefits to women (indeed, to everyone) of increasing education and scientific understanding, Sarah Palin is opposed to science education and is obstinately ignorant of the state of scientific knowledge. She has sued to try to stop the addition of animals which might interfere with oil drilling being added to the endangered species list in opposition to Alaska state biologists' recommendations and peer-reviewed scholarship showing numbers of polar bears are dropping. She supports the teaching of creationism in science classes (not in religious studies where it would belong if it belonged anywhere in a state-funded school), though it's possible that after some of her backpedaling it's more appropriate to say she isn't opposed to it. She is opposed to stem cell research. Most damning, she doesn't think human activity has led to global warming despite the opinion that it has held by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries.

A person who's a creationist doesn't understand science and technology at all. A person whose understanding of environmental change is entirely shaped by ties to the oil industry is dangerously biased. The vice president of the United States needs to be held to a higher standard of understanding on science; it is too critical to our national health and competitive success.

So, should women who supported Hillary Clinton now support John McCain just because he's got a woman VP? No. It's ridiculous to think that Palin's gender should make her palatable to Clinton supporters.

No one skewered this point of view better than Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee on the Daily Show in the second half of this video:

Vote. 2008

Yes. We can.

The MetaGrrrl slate card for June 2008 voting 2008

Make up your own mind, but if you're curious how I've made mine up after reading about the different candidates and propositions, here's what I endorse this time around.

U.S. Representative - Nancy Pelosi
I'd prefer that she was firmly anti-war, but otherwise, I think she's doing a solid job and despite her war stance, I'll probably support her against Cindy Sheehan in the fall.

State Senator - Mark Leno
If he and Carole Migden were running for different positions, I'd probably vote for both of them, but I am a strong supporter of Mark Leno and am really excited at the prospect of having him in this role. As my friend Jennifer Granick said in her slate card, he's been effective, principled and pragmatic.

Member, State Assembly District 13 -  Tom Ammiano
Again, Jennifer sums it up nicely: he's worked his ass off for this city. Plus I believe he really listens and really thinks; lovely things in a politician.

Judge of the Superior Court, seat #12 - Mary E. Mallen
I was debating voting for Gerardo C. Sandoval with some reluctance; I was rather revolted by the amount of political junk mail I received from his campaign AND he's a board of supervisors member, which doesn't - at least in this city - suggest to me non-partisan consideration. However, getting Pete Wilson appointee Thomas Mellon off the bench was alluring enough to consider it. But then again Mary E. Mallen's statement in the Voter Information Pamphlet was so very much better than his and Jennifer picked her on her slate card too.

Proposition 98:  End Rent Control, and Then Some: NO NO NO
Proposition 99: Protect Homeowners from Eminent Domain: Yes
Remember we hate 98, 99 is fine.

Proposition A - School Parcel Tax - Yes
Funding schools pays off in increased economic health for communities. This is a good step to begin getting education funding back where it should be.

Proposition B - Changing Qualifications for Retiree Health and Pension Benefits and Establishing a Retiree Health Care Trust Fund - Yes
Changes city retirement rules to reduce city costs while still providing benefits for city employees who've been with the city at least 10 years.

Proposition C - Forfeiture of Retirement Benefits for Conviction of a Crime Involving Moral Turpitude in Connection with City Employment -No
"Moral Turpitude" has no precise definition; this is a ridiculous proposition. I can't say it better than Jennifer:

Not a big enough problem to be worth the litigation over whether something is morally turpitudinous enough to merit the penalty.  And yes, that is a word.

Proposition D - Appointments to City Boards and Commissions - No
A fine sentiment, but non-binding. The City Controller opines that it will have a minimal impact on the cost of government. I opine that it will have a minimal impact on egalitarianism and there are better things our city government can be spending its time on.

Proposition E -  Requiring Board of Supervisors' Approval of Mayor's Appointments to the Public Utilities Commission and Creating Qualifications for Commission Members - No
The Board already has veto rights on these appointments; this will needlessly further politicize this process. (Dudes, our mayor is NOT conservative; in any other city he'd be the farthest left-wing candidate. We're fine with the current controls.)

Proposition F -  No
Proposition G – YES
We already have a community-discussed, funding-provided solution to clean up and improve Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point: proposition G. The pie-in-the-sky ideas of proposition F will almost certainly guarantee the status quo remains, which helps no one. Sophie Maxwell, the supervisor for Bayview/Hunters Point, is in favor of G; I'm going to listen to her over Chris Daly on what's best for her community. Again, I'm going to quote Jennifer's analysis here:

Affordable housing is really important, as is avoiding gentrification that drives current residents away, as is avoiding the "barbell effect" where the really poor and the super rich can get access to homes in the city, and everyone else has to leave. The Lennar plan provides that housing, maybe not as much as you'd theoretically like [but more than has been provided by past development], in the context of a well-conceived detailed plan that can actually happen.  F puts the kibosh on that progress.  And waiting carries its own price.  Black residents are already being forced out of the Bayview area by a mixture of gentrification and violence.  [see for example] There's always something not to like, but that is not a good excuse anymore.  Vote yes on G and no on F.

So that's flaky F and grounded G; go G, fuck F.

Proposition H - Prohibiting Elected Officials, Candidates, or Committees They Control from Soliciting or Accepting Contributions from Certain City Contractors – No
So, let me get this straight, people contracting with the city are prohibited from making campaign contributions under certain circumstances and this will make it illegal for those already prohibited contributions to be accepted?  Jennifer (did I mention she's a lawyer?) says "This is a poorly crafted rule that does not define the 'controlled committees' that it allegedly regulates.  As a result is will not make government cleaner."

If you like her comments, you may want to subscribe to the Granick slate card.

If you like my comments, just keep readin' my blog, baby.

 

The risks of stock footage... 2008

Read this 2008

Thank you, Congressman Reyes.

Washington, DC - Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-TX, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent the following letter to President George W. Bush today regarding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The text of the letter is below:

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The Preamble to our Constitution states that one of our highest duties as public officials is to "provide for the common defence." As an elected Member of Congress, a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I work everyday to ensure that our defense and intelligence capabilities remain strong in the face of serious threats to our national security.

Because I care so deeply about protecting our country, I take strong offense to your suggestion in recent days that the country will be vulnerable to terrorist attack unless Congress immediately enacts legislation giving you broader powers to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans' communications and provides legal immunity for telecommunications companies that participated in the Administration's warrantless surveillance program.

Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) has authority to conduct surveillance in at least three different ways, all of which provide strong capability to monitor the communications of possible terrorists.

First, NSA can use its authority under Executive Order 12333 to conduct surveillance abroad of any known or suspected terrorist. There is no requirement for a warrant. There is no requirement for probable cause. Most of NSA's collection occurs under this authority.

Second, NSA can use its authority under the Protect America Act, enacted last August, to conduct surveillance here in the U.S of any foreign target. This authority does not "expire" on Saturday, as you have stated. Under the PAA, orders authorizing surveillance may last for one year - until at least August 2008. These orders may cover every terrorist group without limitation. If a new member of the group is identified, or if a new phone number or email address is identified, the NSA may add it to the existing orders, and surveillance can begin immediately. We will not "go dark."

Third, in the remote possibility that a new terrorist organization emerges that we have never previously identified, the NSA could use existing authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor those communications. Since its establishment nearly 30 years ago, the FISA Court has approved nearly every application for a warrant from the Department of Justice. In an emergency, NSA or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may begin surveillance immediately, and a FISA Court order does not have to be obtained for three days. The former head of FISA operations for the Department of Justice has testified publicly that emergency authorization may be granted in a matter of minutes.

As you know, the 1978 FISA law, which has been modernized and updated numerous times since 9/11, was instrumental in disrupting the terrorist plot in Germany last summer. Those who say that FISA is outdated do not understand the strength of this important tool.

If our nation is left vulnerable in the coming months, it will not be because we don't have enough domestic spying powers. It will be because your Administration has not done enough to defeat terrorist organizations - including al Qaeda -- that have gained strength since 9/11. We do not have nearly enough linguists to translate the reams of information we currently collect. We do not have enough intelligence officers who can penetrate the hardest targets, such as al Qaeda. We have surged so many intelligence resources into Iraq that we have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, you have allowed al Qaeda to reconstitute itself on your watch.

You have also suggested that Congress must grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies. As someone who has been briefed on our most sensitive intelligence programs, I can see no argument why the future security of our country depends on whether past actions of telecommunications companies are immunized.

The issue of telecom liability should be carefully considered based on a full review of the documents that your Administration withheld from Congress for eight months. However, it is an insult to the intelligence of the American people to say that we will be vulnerable unless we grant immunity for actions that happened years ago.

Congress has not been sitting on its hands. Last November, the House passed responsible legislation to authorize the NSA to conduct surveillance of foreign terrorists and to provide clarity and legal protection to our private sector partners who assist in that surveillance.

The proper course is now to conference the House bill with the Senate bill that was passed on Tuesday. There are significant differences between these two bills and a conference, in regular order, is the appropriate mechanism to resolve the differences between these two bills. I urge you, Mr. President, to put partisanship aside and allow Republicans in Congress to arrive at a compromise that will protect America and protect our Constitution.

I, for one, do not intend to back down - not to the terrorists and not to anyone, including a President, who wants Americans to cower in fear.

We are a strong nation. We cannot allow ourselves to be scared into suspending the Constitution. If we do that, we might as well call the terrorists and tell them that they have won.

Sincerely,

Silvestre Reyes
Member of Congress
Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Narrow Doors and Transitions Ahead 2008

Excellent essay by Jinx McCombs: "The Narrow Door"

So why does the real-life situation look so far from the 50-50 gender population distribution? And why are minorities also still represented at far below their demographic numbers?

My thesis, developed over decades of observation, is this: in a choice between a white male and any other, the "other" will be held to much stricter limits of personal characteristics, qualifications, and behavior. This is the Narrow Door.

The Narrow Door operates in two ways. First, the range of "acceptable" behavior is narrowed, usually at both ends of a scale. For example, a personal style which is seen positively in a white male as strong and authoritative is likely to be seen negatively in a woman as bossy and controlling. A man's "good support and coaching of staff" may be seen in a woman as "coddling and micro-managing."

Second, the Narrow Door often means that negative charges against a candidate --- especially if they fit previous stereotypes --- are accepted as true with little examination or evidence.

The Narrow Door works outside conscious awareness. (Common usage would be "subconsciously" but the term "outside conscious awareness" emphasizes that we can become aware of the influence and mitigate it.) But in highly competitive arenas such as national politics, some will exploit Narrow Door assumptions to damage opponents.

======

A more politically-anchored piece by Robin Morgan - Goodbye To All That #2 - makes similar points but ties them to anti-Hillary Rodham Clinton sentiments.

Goodbye to the toxic  viciousness  . . .

Carl Bernstein's disgust at Hillary’s “thick ankles.”  Nixon-trickster Roger Stone’s new Hillary-hating 527 group, “Citizens United Not Timid” (check the capital letters). John McCain answering “How do we beat the bitch?" with “Excellent question!” Would he have dared reply similarly to “How do we beat the black bastard?” For  shame.

Goodbye to the HRC nutcracker with metal spikes between  splayed thighs. If it was a tap-dancing blackface doll, we would be righteously outraged—and they would not be selling it in airports. Shame.

I have to agree that the level of sexism in criticisms of her and her campaign have been frequently revolting and the list which Robin Morgan describes - of which the few above are just the beginning - make the case strongly that Clinton is not being treated fairly in the media.

However, as much of a feminist as I am, I find myself more personally inspired by Obama's movement. Would I be happy with Hillary Rodham Clinton as president? Absolutely. Would I work hard for her campaign if she won the nomination? Yes, definitely. People I like and trust have worked intimately with her and her experience and skill cannot be denied.

But would I support her over Barack Obama for the nomination? No. Our choice of president must represent to the country and the world that we reject the international policies of George W. Bush.

I don't think you should vote for Hillary because you're both women or for Obama because you're both African-American. Vote for the candidate that represents the world you want to live in and whose policies will bring you closer to it.

To take Bill Clinton's famous sign about the economy, it's about the war, stupid.

I'm supporting Obama because peace matters more than what's in our pants or the color of our skin.

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Or, put more succinctly:

Many thanks to Randall for permitting hotlinking and for the excellent comics!

Vote. 2008

Sad news from Kenya 2008

It can be easy to forget events taking place far away when you don't know anyone there, but that's changing for me and plenty of other people living in comfortable, safe places. I've now made Kiva loans to people in 15 countries around the world and there's a face behind news of war or turmoil.

My thoughts are with Samwel Kagotho of Nakuru and Florence Olango of Kisumu and I hope they're safe.

The news from Ebony Foundation, the local partner for Kiva, is grim:

Dear Kiva Lenders,

I wish to thank you for your continued concern and support during this very difficult moment in Kenya’s history. We have been a peaceful Country in a generally troubled region and people sort of took the peace for granted.

The country is now battered almost to a pulp and blood spilt with vengeance, senseless killings and wanton destruction. Markets, food stores and shops have been looted. Hospitals are dysfunctional and health centers incapacitated by riots and barricades. The violence, death and destruction witnessed in the Country for the last couple weeks has jolted the Nation into conscience and every body is now craving normalcy.

While peace is slowly returning to all affected parts of the Country, the impact of the riots has been devastating. Hundreds of people have been killed turning thousands of innocent children into helpless orphans and over one million people have been displaced, becoming internal refugees over night.

The impact of the riots is most felt in the micro and small business sector. Over 1 million small businesses were looted and or burnt down destroying the only source of income to millions of Kenyans. Most of the fighting and destruction occurred in slum areas in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kericho in Rift Valley. These regions are home to over 70% of Ebony Foundation’s clients and as you can imagine almost all of our clients in these regions have been affected by the riots. Only one region- (Mount Kenya) which is home to about 20% of EbF’s clients was spared the violence. The economy in this safe region is now getting stretched as the residents have to now house the displaced population.

We have recently completed auditing the riot’s impact on our clients and as of yesterday about 4,900 of our clients had been badly affected by the riots:

-- About 1,532 of our clients were displaced and both their homes and business premises burnt down. This population is currently housed in church compounds and police stations.

-- Another 2,479 clients had their business premises burnt down or looted leaving them with no source of income at all.

-- 833 clients had their homes looted or burnt down and about 56 clients are missing and feared dead or critically injured.

The outpouring of support and willingness to forgive current loans and loan again in the region once it stabilizes in the comment thread on Kiva brought me to tears.

War and other violence are so horribly destructive. Never believe that war is good for any economy, even the American one. (Read more about that particular misguided notion in H.A. Scott Trask's Ten Recurring Economic Fallacies, 1774–2004 to which Jason Kottke recently provided a timely link).

I fervently hope that serious things like microfinance and wonderful silly little things like Flickr comments can continue to help to build the connections which break down the kind of mental distance that allows war and violence.

Stupidity 2007

How exactly is it that some people think running up debt like a fool is better for America than even the most well-thought-out taxes? The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost the average American family of four over $20,000! That's just nuts - and what the hell has it gained us?

"Charge it" is not a fiscal policy, it's a recipe for disaster.

My choices for the San Francisco Nov '07 ballot 2007

Gavin Newsom for mayor. No 2nd & 3rd choices to illustrate my disgustipation with the actual alternative candidates. (Wish I could write in Tom Ammiano for 2nd choice, but he's not on the Certified Write-In list).

Harris & Hennessey for DA & Sheriff. Give 'em time to make changes; no quick fixes here and I think we haven't seen their real influence yet.

Yes on A. It will be good for transit and climate.

Yes on B. Clears up an unclear aspect in the current charter.

Yes on C. Doesn't make a radical change in process but does provide for more public comment.

Yes on D. Libraries provide substantial economic benefits to their communities. Money invested in libraries returns manyfold.

No on E. At least as long as the ever-grandstanding Chris Daly is on the board I view this one as counter-productive. The mayor is highly accessible to the board; there is no need to require him to appear before the board.

Yes on F. Simple flexibility for retirement fund management for cops.

No on G. The stables in Golden Gate Park certainly do no harm, but there are more important places to spend this money. Wavered over this one, since I do think there's a value in humans encountering large animals in their daily lives, but it seems this should be supportable through private funds. Also I think other larger benefits could come from other use of this space in the park. Imagine something like the east bay's Alexander Lindsey Junior Museum with rescued wildlife, etc. for instance.

No on H. No, actually we DON'T need more parking. Tough titty, people. We have too many cars for the city as is. Public transit won't kill you; get out of the damn car.

Yes on I. So, if you're not driving off to the big box stores, that makes more market and more need for thriving small businesses providing to the very local neighborhood. Yes to a Small Business Assistance Center.

Undecided on J. Want to talk this one over with Joe.

Yes on K. I've lived in Honolulu. Less public advertising = more beautiful city.

By the way, the interstitial information in the ballot booklet is pretty cool. Check out the "Did You Know" feature on page 59, the "Voter Bill of Rights" on page 70, and the "Be Coyote Aware" feature on page 94.

Numbers? Faces. 2007

Lest we forget just what kind of scale of damage happens in wars, here's Tom Engelhardt on the measurement of "success" in military undertakings.

Worst. President. Ever. 2007

or if not, he's sure giving the title a run for its money.

It's not just that his policies are bad, it's the terrifying realization that he doesn't even understand them.

Do check out the whole New York Times piece on Bush & his biographer; it's short and worth reading.