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Archives for September 2012

Patton Oswalt: I’m Voting for Obama Because I Love Money, But I’m Not Money’s B*tch

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90 Day, 90 Reasons / By Patton Oswalt (Orginally appeared Sept. 6, 2012)

Romney is money’s bitch. He’s ambition’s bitch. He’s success’s bitch and he’s victory’s bitch. And, like those particular sort of pampered dogs you see in the laps of the very rich, he yaps and snaps and snarls at the everyday mutt. He’s frightened and confused by a dog who’s happy to treasure the sunshine and play with the other dogs and eat enough food to fill its belly and lap enough water to slake its thirst and then get out of the way for the other dogs to have their turn. Romney’s been trained since birth that not only are there No Other Dogs But Him And His Ilk, but that dogs who don’t aspire to immobility on a fat lap are to be snarled at, chased away, and bred out of existence.

In 2010 and 2011, Mitt and Ann paid $6.2 million in federal tax on $42.5 million in income (get away from my food!!!) for an average tax rate just shy of 15 percent (get away from my water!!!), substantially less than what most middle-income Americans pay (yapyapyapyap!!!)

He’s curled up so snugly and safely in the lap of wealth that he’s never once bolted and gallivanted and lived in the world. The freedom’s there, but he’d rather put more diamond studs, more trinkets and jewels, and more frills and feathers on his too-tight collar, and double-check that his leash is double-clasped to it, never to come loose.   [Read more…]

Proposition 38 and the Undeclared War of 2012

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By Kimberley Beatty / Special to San Diego Free Press

There is an openly secret war between Prop 38 and Prop 30 and it’s important to understand how this unnecessary conflict happened.  Both propositions increase taxes and that’s where the problem begins.  Any revenue increase requires a 2/3 vote of both the state senate and assembly.  All but two Republican legislators have signed the Grover Norquist Anti-Tax Pledge, vowing to never, under any circumstances raise taxes or even allow the citizens to be able to vote on the issue.

The only possible exception would be a revenue neutral bill, where a tax increase here would be used for a tax cut there.  With rare exception, all Republicans fall in line or suffer the retribution response of a vengeful party, including lost leadership positions on committees and recalls.

Given this undemocratic system, it was predictable that in the Spring of 2011 Governor Brown would fail to get enough votes in the state legislature to qualify an initiative to allow citizens to decide whether to extend his temporary taxes on vehicles, sales and income.   [Read more…]

Citizens Must Remain Vigilant and Proactive Against the University City Power Plant

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By Brent Perkins

Our problem has not been solved, it has merely gone underground. We have a City and a Mayor’s Office that seems determined to shoehorn an 800 megawatt industrial power plant directly amidst our schools, parks, shopping centers, churches, and densely populated neighborhoods. Any government that would, by design and intent, bring such an abomination to our homes is dangerous and ill intended.
  [Read more…]

The Success Story of Napoleon’s Shoe Shine and Repair Service

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Napoleon’s Shoe Shine and Repair Service
Columbia Center
401 West A Street, Suite 175
San Diego, CA 92101
619 245-9896
Hours: M – F 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Robert Napoleon Steele III was born in Detroit (pronounced Deeeetroit) Michigan to an African American father and a Caucasian mother. His early home life was normal, although he experienced some bullying by other kids because of his mixed heritage.

When he was seven his parents divorced and he moved with his mother and sister to Maryland. By the age of ten, Napoleon was a handful and his mother sent him to live with his father. His father enrolled Napoleon in various boarding schools and programs for unruly kids until he eventually graduated high school.

Napoleon’s first job was running the concessions at the National Aerospace Museum in Washington DC. At 19, his life took a downward spiral and he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He moved around the country, and ended up in Reno, Nevada, hooked on drugs and homeless. After years of this lifestyle, Napoleon was tired – tired of drugs, tired of sleeping in alleys, tired of people looking past him not at him, tired of disappointing his family and himself.
  [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Publisher Manchester disables left turn signals on all UT-San Diego vehicles

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Okay, I made that up. But it is true that our Daily Fishwrap is rolling out bold new features designed to make sure that readers better understand their vision for a brand new yesterday. “New online:”, says the color type at the top of today’s front page, “Seeing Red: A Conservative View of Politics”. And sure enough, if you go there, you’ll find an even more conservative amalgamation of “news” and opinion drawn from the right side of the political equation.

Wow, it sure is “high tech” looking. Unlike Fox news, which claims its punditry is separate from its “news”, UT-San Diego makes no bones about it, this latest feature IS part of the news department. It says so right in URL they use. If you want to have some fun, send a ‘friendly’ tweet with the hashtag #utseeingred and they’ll run it on a little scrolling feature at the bottom of the page.

But wait! There’s more! “Coming Sunday:…Bolder Opinion pages…”. And you can get a preview on today’s editorial page. Just in case you didn’t comprehend their arguments for the alternative universe espoused by Manchester’s Mission Valley minions THEY’VE MADE THE TYPE BIGGER. DON”T YOU PEOPLE GET IT YET?   [Read more…]

Field of View: What Happens In Vegas

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Welp, I messed up. I forgot my fancy camera on a recent trip to Vegas over Labor Day weekend. It’s probably a blessing — nobody’s going to invite “the chick with the enormous camera” back to Sin City. Too risky. Plus, the clubs get so crowded there was barely room for me most of the time.

At nearly 30, this was my first trip to Vegas. Shocking, I know, as most Americans consider a trip there a rite of passage. The city is a series of contradictions: Glitz and glam contrasted by your average, everyday people. It was shiny, smokey and “trinkety,” if you will. Only these trinkets are utterly enormous — with the expansive casinos, Eiffel Tower, giant globe and intermittent Bellagio Fountain water shows, just to name a few.

There’s still so much more to be seen, which is perfect because it leaves an option for a “next time.”

All photos by Annie Lane.   [Read more…]

Have You Heard of the “Wailing Wall”? The “Widder’s” answer – “The Reading Fence”

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It is hard to believe that during the last presidential election my husband was alive and protesting the Bush regime. We first made contact with the OBRag because of posters and/or pictures we had depicting our feelings.

As the anniversary of his death of three years approaches, (September 21st) I feel it is only fitting to construct a “Reading Fence” of the current posters being circulated on the Internet. (Of course it must be realized that I am selecting only those that he would have approved of – which means that some of you will not approve of them). Oh well….he wouldn’t care – nor do I.   [Read more…]

Audits? we don’t need no stinkin’ audits!

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by Norma Damashek/NumbersRunner

I’ve been working on a new informal series called WHAT SAN DIEGO DOESN’T NEED.  Here’s the first installment, to be followed by short pieces on other things our city doesn’t need, like Newspaper? we don’t need no stinkin’ newspaper…no stinkin’ pensions…stinkin’ lawsuits…scandals…moral terpitude…and so on.

Today it’s audits.

My mother introduced me to audits when I was a child by way of specific instructions on how to deal with the outside world.  It was the ordinary dose of Be careful crossing the street and Don’t talk to strangers — until one day she catapulted me into a grey zone of ‘little white lies’ with a new caveat: Honey, whenever anyone asks what daddy does for a living don’t say bookie. Say he’s an auditor…just say he does hotel audits.   [Read more…]

No Accountability for Torturers

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By Marjorie Cohn

The Obama administration has closed the books on prosecutions of those who violated our laws by authorizing and conducting the torture and abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that his office would investigate only two incidents, in which CIA interrogations ended in deaths. He said the Justice Department “has determined that an expanded criminal investigation of the remaining matters is not warranted.” With that decision, Holder conferred amnesty on countless Bush officials, lawyers and interrogators who set and carried out a policy of cruel treatment.

Now the attorney general has given a free pass to those responsible for the deaths of Gul Rahman and Manadel al-Jamadi. Rahman froze to death in 2002 after being stripped and shackled to a cold cement floor in the secret Afghan prison known as the Salt Pit. Al-Jamadi died after he was suspended from the ceiling by his wrists which were bound behind his back. MP Tony Diaz, who witnessed al-Jamadi’s torture, said that blood gushed from his mouth like “a faucet had turned on” when he was lowered to the ground. A military autopsy concluded that al-Jamadi’s death was a homicide.

Nevertheless, Holder said that “based on the fully developed factual record concerning the two deaths, the department has declined prosecution because the admissible evidence would not be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.”   [Read more…]

“Thank You For Helping Susan Hunt”

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On Saturday, August 25th, in San Diego, Susan Hunt, a 61 year old woman, was struck by a car driven by a 69 year old man.

In the accident, Susan hit her head and suffered severe brain trauma. She was on life-support at Scripps Hospital until yesterday, when, following her previously stated wishes, extraordinary measures were removed. Within fifteen minutes thereof, Susan died peacefully.

Susan had been homeless for over 10 years.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line — Bubba-licious: Clinton Schools Republicans with Arithmetic, History

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“Now, people ask me all the time how we got four surplus budgets in a row. What new ideas did we bring to Washington? I always give a one-word answer: arithmetic.”

 Former President Bill Clinton took the stage at the Democratic National Convention last night and systematically dismembered the Republican Party’s memes, schemes and misrepresentations that make up the body of their work in building a case against the Obama administration and for electing the men at the top of their ticket. In a fifty minute speech that strayed significantly from the version released in advance to the press, the former chief executive effectively used all the rhetorical skills in his arsenal to argue for another four years of Democratic control of the White House.

I have plenty of reservations about Bill Clinton’s tenure as President; his role in de-regulation of the financial industry and his shortsightedness about the repercussions of NAFTA immediately come to mind. But when it comes to his ability to mount a political offensive, nobody in recent memory can top the combination of ah-shucks populism and wonk-like command of facts that was on display last night.   [Read more…]

San Diego For Free – Biking the San Diego Bay

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A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Website: www.sandag.org/bayshorebikeway

Neighborhood & Address: San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Coronado; Detailed map here.

Best For: Outdoor enthusiasts, bicyclists, nature lovers, bird watchers

Hours: Free all day, every day. $4.25 for ferry if you prefer not to bicycle round-trip

The San Diego Bay is one of many iconic natural features of the regional geography. The bay is about 12 miles long, from San Diego in the north to Imperial Beach in the south. On the east side of the bay lies National City and Chula Vista and Coronado is about a mile across the bay to the west.

A wonderful feature of the San Diego Bay is the Bayshore Bikeway, a 24-mile bicycle-friendly loop that goes from Broadway Pier on the downtown San Diego Embarcadero around the entirety of the bay to the south-east, before returning north along Silver Strand Boulevard and ending at the Coronado Ferry Landing.   [Read more…]

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