STOP THE PRESSES: The most timely reason to vote against Bush and his Iraq policy

11.06.06 - 3:50 pm | Bruce Brugmann |

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I posed a question to my grandson Nicholas Perez, age l2, a math whiz and computer games afficionado,
to figure out for the Bruce blog how long the Iraq War has lasted in comparison to the U.S. involvement in World War II.

He just sent me an email answer, on deadline, for my pre-election blog.

He says that WWII lasted l,328 days from Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, l94l, to VJ day (Victory in Japan) on Aug. l5, l945.

Which means, he says, that Nov. 7, the day of the election, the Bush War in Iraq has lasted as long as did the U.S. involvement in WW II. Read more »

Rob Black's paid "volunteers"

11.06.06 - 2:58 pm | Tim Redmond |

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By Tim Redmond

Everyone's having fun with this story: Apparently, the Rob Black campaign in District 6 is paying people $15 an hour to act like volunteers. There's a great photo on Sfist that sets the scene. Then KPFA sent a reporter to interview Black "volunteers" and got some great stuff. Read more »

Wisdom of former presidents

11.06.06 - 9:59 am | Steven T. Jones |

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By Steven T. Jones
Jimmy Carter said something truly remarkable on National Public Radio last night. The segment was about how the former U.S. president and his Carter Center are monitoring the elections in Nicaragua, just as they have in 67 other elections around the world over the last two decades.
For her final question, NPR’s Debbie Elliott asked about repeated voting irregularities here in the U.S. and whether maybe we should have international monitors to ensure our elections are free and fair. Read more »

Lacey's Wednesday night massacre. The LA Weekly's Harold Meyerson says to all staffers on the l7 Voice/New Times papers: Don't deviate from the template or you are out. Lacey publicly savages Meyerson.

11.06.06 - 9:40 am | Bruce Brugmann |

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By Bruce B. Brugmann (B3)

As the rest of the press (mainstream and alternative) was publishing endorsements and election coverage for Tuesday's referendum on Bush and Iraq, Mike Lacey, editor in chief of the Village Voice/New Times papers, was down in Los Angeles at the LA Weekly stoking yet another of his signature bloodbaths (see my previous blog below).

Lacey killed the Weekly's influential and widely read political endorsements, making this election the first time in memory that the Weekly did not run endorsements. Read more »

Newsom vetoes foot patrols

11.03.06 - 7:35 pm | Tim Redmond |

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By Tim Redmond

Late on a Friday, at the slowest possible time in the news cycle, when politicians make moves that they hope will get very little media attention, Mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed a plan to require police foot patrols in high-crime areas. That marks a dramatic shift in his position. Just a few days ago, he was prepared to sign the bill.
The veto sets up a fascinating showdown: Are there eigh Read more »

Quality of life

11.03.06 - 7:23 pm | Tim Redmond |

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By Tim Redmond
I'm usually not much for political speeches, but Chris Daly has a really nice riff on quality of life in this video of his recent rally at 16th and Mission. His point: It's easy for people living in million-dollar condos to attack him and complain about the "quality of life" in District 6 (which is downtown shorthand for cracking down on the homeless). But what about the quality of life of all the people who live in residential hotels, who struggle every day, who live on the economic edge? Read more »

Hellman on SFSOS and Daly

11.03.06 - 2:36 pm | Steven T. Jones |

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By Steven T. Jones
I spoke recently with Warren Hellman, the San Francisco investment banker that Business Week called “the Warren Buffet of the West Coast.” He’s a fascinating guy, someone who has drawn the ire of progressives by founding the downtown groups Committee on Jobs and SFSOS, but who has also joined with progressives to support the Healthy Saturdays closures in Golden Gate Park and other measures.
Among other topics, Hellman talked about SFSOS, which is leading the nasty and deceptive attacks on Sup. Read more »

The comments roll in on the search for endorsements in Village Voice/New Times papers. Is it a snipe hunt? Does Dan Savage or Mike Lacey have the real balls?

11.03.06 - 11:40 am | Bruce Brugmann |

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I put out a call to the alternative press across the country to see if anybody could spot an endorsement or strong political story in pre-election issues of Village Voice/New Times papers. (Scroll to the bottom for some vintage Mike Laceyism and some answers to the pressing question of the day: who has the real balls: Dan Savage or Mike Lacey?

The OC Weekly in Orange County did endorsements this year, but that appeared to be the only one of the l7 Voice/New Times papers that did. Read more »

What would Jesus do?

11.03.06 - 9:58 am | Cheryl Eddy |

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"I bought it for myself but never used it," he said. "I was tempted, but I never used it." - Ex-National Association of Evangelicals prez (and George W. Bush bud) Ted Haggard to reporters regarding his alleged meth use, 11/03/06

That's kind of like saying he smoked pot but didn't inhale -- except way more hilarious, ain't it?? Read more »

Black Ops

11.03.06 - 9:28 am | Steven T. Jones |

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By Steven T. Jones
Re-reading the article I linked to in my last post reminded me to remind y'all about an event from earlier this year that goes to the heart of Rob Black's close ties to downtown developers and why he can't be trusted. Read more »